Start of a transcript of: Inform 7 v10.1.2 Identification number: //43108AA5-F384-4DD1-863E-F29C96AA167E// Interpreter version 2.2.1 / VM 3.1.3 Hybrid Choices version 7.1 by AW Freyr Deluxe Booleans version 1.0.250124 by Charm Cochran Bulk Limiter version 9 by Eric Eve Prepositional Correctness version 2.0.200926 by Gavin Lambert Hiding Behind version 1 by Charm Cochran Skeleton Keys version 1 by Emily Short Room Description Control version 14.1.220524 by Emily Short Tailored Room Description version 13.2.240108 by Emily Short Underside version 6.1 by Eric Eve Hiding Under version 4 by Eric Eve Epistemology version 9 by Eric Eve Alternatives version 3.0.150410 by Eric Eve Enterable Underside version 2.0.200926 by Gavin Lambert (Inspired by and based on a forum post by Eric Conrad.) Far Away version 5.0.160517 by Jon Ingold Simple Multimedia Effects For V10 version 6 by Mathbrush Planner version 3.0.240130 by Nate Cull Basic Plans version 3.0.211124 by Nate Cull Title Case For Headings version 1.0.170902 by Nathanael Nerode Undo Output Control version 6.0.220529 by Nathanael Nerode (based on the extension by Erik Temple; integrates Empty Command Handling by Daniel Stelzer based on code by Matt Weiner) >1 You look down at the creased page in your hand. OFFICIAL COMMUNICATION - FOR THE EYES OF AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY - PERSONAL OR UNAUTHORIZED USE OF THIS INFORMATION IS A FEDERAL CRIME Many of our agents have been captured in the field recently. We have traced their locations, and many of them are currently being held in this compound. Given that none of them are immutable, it is likely that some or all of them have been reversed into inanimates. Your mission is to infiltrate the compound, locate the reversed agents, and rescue them. When possible, you are to reverse each agent back as you locate them, so that they may aid in the mission. We do not know the details of the compound's interior, so please know that immediate reversal of rescued agents may not always be possible. While we do not yet know the exact layout of the compound, we have chosen this date and time because all of its personnel are absent for a scheduled training exercise at a second location. You will not have much time?get in and out as quickly as possible, but leave no man behind. Good luck, agent. INDISPOSED AGENTS: Agent Tod Alexander Agent Emil Castellanos Agent Neil Murphy Agent Meg Robinson Agent Raj Sharma Agent Mac Thompson Agent Pam Turner Agent Tao Wei 1) Ask how all these high-level agents managed to get captured. 2) Ask what you're supposed to do to save them. 3) Confirm that you're ready. >1 "How did all these high-level agents manage to get themselves captured?" you wonder aloud. "We didn't expect our adversaries to have access to the same tech we did," Kay explains. "It happened one at a time, and obviously they were rendered incapable of reporting back what had happened to them. Only once we reached a critical mass of missing agents did it become clear what was going on." 1) Concede the point, but ask what you're supposed to do to save them. 2) Confirm that you're ready. >1 "Okay, sure," you concede. "But what am I supposed to do to save them?" "You're going to have something they didn't," Kay replies. "Something not even our adversaries have developed. Something brand new." You wait a moment for her to continue, but she seems to be expecting you to say something first. 1) Ask why she's being so cagey. 2) Confirm that you're ready. >1 You know Kay. It's not like her to withhold information?like, literally any information at all?and it's especially not like her to do so while looking so excited about it. "Why are you being so cagey?" you ask, quirking an eyebrow. "I've been instructed to wait for you to verbally confirm that you're ready before I tell you what I need to tell you," Kay explains. "And you know me: keeping myself from just blurting it out is killing me. So please just, you know, end my suffering." 1) Confirm that you're ready. >1 "Alright, alright." You chuckle. "I'm ready." "Okay, then," Kay replies. "Here you go." She produces a stack of maps and lays them out, then hands you a small device that looks like a ray gun. It's casing is transparent, and you think you recognize the machinery and parts inside, though you've never seen them on such a small scale. "This can't be what I think it is, can it?" you ask, unable to keep the breathless excitement out of your voice. Kay grins wide, and gestures to the maps she laid out. "Why don't you find out for yourself? Point it there and REVERSE the MAPS." Inside the Van You are in an Agency van. Black interior walls and seats, with little else to ease the spartan surroundings. Kay has commandeered the entire front, both driver and passenger sides. She sits in the driver's seat, laptop on her lap, nav on the dash to her left. Some maps lay on the floor. >i Currently, you're carrying a reverser, a reference list, and a briefcase. In the briefcase are a lockpick and an emergency kit. Kay squints at something on her screen. >x list A single creased sheet of paper, with your orders typed neatly on the front. Below the orders is a list of the agents you're here to rescue. INDISPOSED AGENTS: Agent Tod Alexander Agent Emil Castellanos Agent Neil Murphy Agent Meg Robinson Agent Raj Sharma Agent Mac Thompson Agent Pam Turner Agent Tao Wei >x reverser It looks like a retro-futuristic ray gun, complete with a ball at the tip and sensor lights. Kay hums a short tune to herself. >reverse kay Her last time in the field, Kay was captured by your adversaries and reversed. She spent two full years as a yak, the longest recorded amount of time any human has spent reversed, and was only rescued and restored to her original state a few months ago. It affected her deeply?she still gets some words backwards when she talks, and you know she sometimes tries to eat hay. This is her very first mission back. If she needs to be the gal in the van, or even the lag in the nav, that's just fine. Kay types on her laptop. >reverse briefcase (the briefcase) "Esacfeirb" is, as far as you're aware, not a valid English noun. Kay chews at her fingernail briefly, before visibly stopping herself. >x lockpick That noun didn't make sense in this context. >open briefcase (the briefcase) You open the briefcase, revealing a lockpick and an emergency kit. >x lockpick A set of differently-sized picks, all attached to a central handle. It's not your most high-tech piece of equipment, but you consider it one of your coolest. >x emergency kit A white plastic box with the words FOR EMERGENCIES ONLY written in block letters on the front. Kay glares at something on her laptop screen. >open box Kay told you only to open the emergency kit in case of a true emergency. You don't think your circumstances are quite bad enough yet. >close briefcase (the briefcase) You close the briefcase. >x van Inside the Van The familiar interior of an Agency van. Black interior walls and seats, with little else to ease the spartan surroundings. Kay has commandeered the entire front, both driver and passenger sides. She sits in the driver's seat, laptop on her lap, nav on the dash to her left. Some maps lay on the floor. >reverse nav You don't think the existing van could fit a second van inside of it. Or at least, not without killing you. Kay mumbles something as she types. >x maps Large-scale overviews of a variety of countries. Panama, Canada, Crete. Kay glances at the nav, then waves her hand and returns to her laptop. >reverse maps The reverser emits a quiet buzz and, to your surprise and delight, the maps transform into a tin of spam. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. The sensor on the side of the reverser lights up. You gaze in wonder at Kay. There's no way they could have gotten the reversal tech so small so fast. This is absolutely game-changing. For her part, Kay looks delighted. She squeals and claps her hands in glee before regaining control of herself. "Alright, Agent Quintrell, you can pick your jaw up off the floor," she says, attempting to maintain a professional demeanor. "We're not done here yet. Now I need you to REVERSE the SPAM." [For your convenience, you can shorten the REVERSE command to just 'R,' as in "R SPAM."] >r spam The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the spam transforms into some maps. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. The sensor light goes out. Kay claps with delight. "That is what you're going to do to save them," she crows. "Any questions?" 1) Ask how they got the tech so small. 2) Ask whether you can reverse anything at all. 3) Ask how exactly this thing will be of use to you. 4) Ask why Kay can't come on the mission with you. 5) Review the rest of your equipment. >1 "Reversers are like... the size of rooms," you muse wonderingly, turning the distinctly not-room-sized device over in your hands. "How did they get it so small?" "Technology marches on." Kay crows. "And sometimes it makes leaps and bounds. Our adversaries are obviously getting much more aggressive with their own developments in the field, and we've been taking strides to catch up." 1) Ask whether you can reverse anything at all. 2) Ask how exactly this thing will be of use to you. 3) Ask why Kay can't come on the mission with you. 4) Review the rest of your equipment. >1 "Oh, leaps and bounds for sure," you say. "Does that mean I can just reverse anything at all now?" "Well, no," Kay replies. "The normal restrictions still apply: the name of the thing spelled backwards needs to be a valid English noun that can manifest physically. There may be a few edge cases, of course, but that's the rule of thumb." 1) Confirm that the Agency's code about preserving life still applies. 2) Ask how exactly this thing will be of use to you. 3) Ask why Kay can't come on the mission with you. 4) Review the rest of your equipment. >1 "And the code of conduct still applies, right?" you ask. "That's right." Kay nods. "No reversing people or animals, and no reversing things into people or animals, unless they've already been reversed and you're returning them to their original state. Oh, and use some common sense?don't go turning any room into a moor because you well wonk we'll never be able to find you." 1) Ask how exactly this thing will be of use to you. 2) Ask why Kay can't come on the mission with you. 3) Review the rest of your equipment. >2 "You're really gonna stay back?" you ask. "You love being in the field. Why can't you come with?" Kay sighs. "Correction: I loved being in the field. Now I'm just fine being the lag in the nav. You know what happened to me on my last mission." 1) Ask how exactly this thing will be of use to you. 2) Ask what it was like being reversed for so long. 3) Review the rest of your equipment. >2 You know it might be a little rude, but your curiosity gets the better of you. "... What was it like, being reversed for so long?" you ask. Kay is silent for a long time. Finally, she says "I don't know how to explain what it feels like to be something you're not. Not to act like something other than yourself, not to pretend, but to be the wrong thing. To be the wrong thing for years. To be the wrong thing for so long, you start to forget what exactly it was you were in the first place, to lose what you're supposed to be. It's just something you have to experience to understand exactly how awful it is." 1) Ask how exactly this thing will be of use to you. 2) Review the rest of your equipment. >2 "Alright," you say, rubbing your hands together. "Not that the mini-reverser isn't cool or anything, but what other gadgets have you got for me?" "Well, here is a wireless headset," Kay says, handing you a small in-ear device. "That will allow you to CONTACT me at any time, if you need to tell or ask me something. "And if you open your briefcase"?she brusquely grabs the briefcase from beside you and does so herself?"You'll find a lockpick, which I trust you know how to use already, and an emergency kit, which I trust you'll only use if absolutely necessary." 1) Ask how exactly this thing will be of use to you. 2) Ask what's in the emergency kit. >2 "What's in the emergency kit?" you ask. "With any luck," Kay replies, "you'll never have to find out." 1) Ask how exactly this thing will be of use to you. >1 "So, how exactly is this thing going to be of use to me?" you ask. Kay gives you a long look. "You're joking, right?" she finally asks. "The power to change things into other things? To warp reality? Made portable for the first time? I had you pegged as someone with at least a little imagination." 1) Tell Kay you're ready to go. >1 "Alright," you say. "I'm ready to go." "The entrance to the compound is right outside," Kay tells you. Then, she gives you a little mock salute. "Good luck, Agent Quintrell." Inside the Van The familiar interior of an Agency van. Black interior walls and seats, with little else to ease the spartan surroundings. Kay has commandeered the entire front, both driver and passenger sides. She sits in the driver's seat, laptop on her lap, nav on the dash to her left. Some maps lay on the floor. You can go out through the van door. >get maps "No, we're done with those," Kay says. "Time to get a move on." Kay drums her fingers on the dash. >out You slide open the van door and step onto the asphalt outside. Retool Looter An Interactive Infiltration by Charm Cochran Release 1 / Serial number 250330 / Inform 7 v10.1.2 Alley The alley is really more of a dead end?brick walls rise oppressively high in three directions. It's mostly empty?a dumpster sits against the west wall, opposite a metal door to the east. Set into the wall next to the door is a metal plate. Behind you, back to the south, is the unmarked white van that drove you here. A camera set high on the eastern wall would observe the whole bland tableau, if Kay hadn't already looped its feed. A dog lays on the asphalt, panting languidly in the heat. >x dog It's a labrador retriever, clearly a stray. Its fur is patchy and you can see its ribs. It's not wearing a collar. >reverse dog Without even getting into any kind of theological questions, you'd rather not risk summoning God to this alley right now. The dog lays his head on his paws, keeping his eyes on you. >*i think it could help Sorry, I didn't understand that sentence. >x camera A boxy gray camera mounted high on the wall surveys the room. The dog lays on the asphalt, panting languidly in the heat. >x dumpster A huge, grungy metal bin is pushed up against one wall. The logo of the local waste management department is stencilled on one side. The dog lays on the asphalt, panting languidly in the heat. >open bin You open the dumpster, revealing some junk. The dog lays on the asphalt, panting languidly in the heat. >x junk A pile of miscellaneous objects, nothing of note among them. The dog lays on the asphalt, panting languidly in the heat. >reverse bin "Retspmud" is, as far as you're aware, not a valid English noun. The dog lays on the asphalt, panting languidly in the heat. >enter dumpster Gross, no. The dog lays on the asphalt, panting languidly in the heat. >x plate A metal plate installed into the wall. There's nothing to indicate it's anything more high-tech than it appears?nothing, that is, other than your intuition. The dog lays on the asphalt, panting languidly in the heat. >n You can't go that way from here. The dog lays on the asphalt, panting languidly in the heat. >ask dog about door There is no reply forthcoming. There's a short blast of static in your headset. "Hey," Kay says into your ear once it resolves. "I can still see you from the van. And not, like, through the cameras, with my eyes. You should be inside by now. What's the holdup?" 1) Protest that you only just got here. 2) Tell her you can't find any lock on the door. >2 "I can't find a lock on the door," you explain. "It's one unbroken surface." "Ohhh-kay, so there's no way to lockpick the door," Kay mutters thoughtfully. "What about that plate right next to it? Why would that be there if it wasn't connected? Try putting the lockpick on that." "I don't know," you reply. "There's no slot or any-" "Just try it, Valerie," Kay cuts you off before you can continue. "It's worth a try, right? Over and out." Another burst of static lets you know she's hung up. The dog lays his head on his paws, keeping his eyes on you. >use lockpick on plate ['Use' is too vague of a command for me to understand. Please try a more specific verb.] The dog lays on the asphalt, panting languidly in the heat. >put lockpick on plate (first taking the lockpick) With a sigh, you put the lockpick against the plate. It magnetizes to the surface. You wait. Nothing happens. You wait some more. Nothing continues to happen. You glance over at the van and catch Kay staring at you with her face pressed to the passenger side window. Hurriedly, she backs up and presses the side of her headset. There comes a blast of static in your ears. "Well?" she asks. "Any luck?" 1) Tell her it's not working. 2) Tell her it worked and you're just standing in this alley for fun. >1 "No dice," you reply. "It doesn't seem like anything's going to happen." "Probably the wrong kind of lockpick?mechanical, not electronic," Kay says, as if that's not exactly what you were trying to tell her before. "So what now, Agent Quintrell?" 1) Tell her you're not sure. 2) Tell her you'll need more equipment to break in. >2 "I need more equipment to break in," you conclude. "A welding torch. Or a battering ram. Or a stethoscope. We'll have to come back." "There must be a way," Kay protests. "Actually, give me a second." You hear the sound of her nails clicking against her keyboard before she makes a triumphant noise. "Okay," she says. "Have you ever heard of a 'rood,' spelled R-O-O-D?" 1) Say yes. 2) Say no. >2 "Can't say I have," you reply. "It's actually the word for a crucifix," Kay tells you. "Or, rather, a sculpture depicting or referencing the Crucifixion. They would traditionally be hung over the entrance to a medieval church. It's an archaic word, but it is a word." "Okay," you say. "But reversal is language-locked and doesn't account for archaic forms. So how does that help?" "Because while we've been talking, I've been coding a patch that will allow it to recognize this archaic form." Kay is unable to keep a hint of smugness out of her voice. 1) Can you do that? 2) You can't do that. >1 "Can you do that?" you ask. "Sure I can," Kay replies. "In fact, I have. The question of whether I'm legally allowed to is another matter." "Well, are you legally allowed to?" "Don't ask questions you don't want the answers to," Kay answers, still sounding smug. "If they're ton going to give us the tools we need to do our jobs, then we'll make our own. Now come back inside and let me patch your thingamajig." A burst of static signals her closing the connection. >x door A thick, implacable slab of metal. It's featureless: no windows, no handles, no keyholes. The dog lays on the asphalt, panting languidly in the heat. >s "Hold on," Kay's voice comes over your earpiece. "Don't forget your lockpick." The dog lays on the asphalt, panting languidly in the heat. >get lockpick You take the lockpick. The dog lays on the asphalt, panting languidly in the heat. >s Inside the Van The familiar interior of an Agency van. Black interior walls and seats, with little else to ease the spartan surroundings. Kay has commandeered the entire front, both driver and passenger sides. She sits in the driver's seat, laptop on her lap, nav on the dash to her left. Some maps lay on the floor. "Alright." Kay holds a hand out for the reverser. "Give it here." >give reverser to kay You give the reverser to Kay. Kay takes the reverser, plugs it into a cord connected to her laptop, then sets it down on the floor. "This'll take a second," she says as she presses a couple of keys on the computer. "But only a second, so don't go too far." >z You wait for a moment. Kay huffs. The reverser clicks. >x reverser It looks like a retro-futuristic ray gun, complete with a ball at the tip and sensor lights. Kay drums her fingers on the dash. The reverser hums. >x light A small light on the side of the reverser, currently off. The reverser wheezes. >x laptop A plain black laptop, standard issue from your agency. The reverser buzzes. Kay's laptop emits a soft chime. "Alright," Kay says, gently disconnecting the reverser from its tether and handing it back to you. "It's all patched. You should be able to use it to reverse that door won. Most doors, actually, so long as they're not too tied to the function of the place they're part of. And assuming the patch works properly. Actually, you should probably test it right away so I can fix it sooner rather than later." >thank kay Sorry, I didn't understand that sentence. >n Alley The alley is really more of a dead end?brick walls rise oppressively high in three directions. It's mostly empty?a dumpster sits against the west wall, opposite a metal door to the east. Set into the wall next to the door is a metal plate. Behind you, back to the south, is the unmarked white van that drove you here. A camera set high on the eastern wall would observe the whole bland tableau, if Kay hadn't already looped its feed. The dog lays on the asphalt, panting languidly in the heat. In the dumpster is some junk. >reverse door The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the metal door transforms into a metal rood. You're in. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. You glance over to Kay in the van, to find her pumping her fist in triumph. When she sees you looking, she makes a shooing gesture to urge you inside the building. The sensor lights up. The dog lays on the asphalt, panting languidly in the heat. >e South End of the Barracks You stand at one end of a long room, which seems to be being used as a barracks. There are beds to your left and right, each with a chest at its foot. Pushed against one wall is a neatly-organized writing desk. A security camera sits high on one wall. The room continues to the north. Back to the west is the doorway leading back to the alley, with a metal cross (or, as you now know, "rood") attached to its top set of hinges. To the east is another door leading further into the compound. "I'm in," you say. "I can see that," Kay replies over your headset. "You'll note that there's a security camera in the moor with you. They're scattered throughout the building. I've disabled this one and looped its output footage, but I haven't been able to find my way into the one in the hall outside yet. I'll let you know when I do, but in the meantime you should look around that first room." "Copy that," you say. >x camera A boxy gray camera mounted high on the wall surveys the room. >reverse cam "Aremac" is, as far as you're aware, not a valid English noun. >x desk A single large writing desk is pushed up against the wall, its surface bare other than a neatly-organized hutch. Among some other junk on the hutch, you can see a stack of papers. >x hutch A separate shelf set atop the writing desk, to provide extra surface area. It looks to be made of particle board. Among some other junk, you can see a stack of papers on the hutch. >x papers The stack of papers appears to be a set of recaps: summaries of episodes of a TV show. >read recap It's an episode-by-episode summary of the first season of a TV show you've never heard of: Scalpels and Seduction. Judging by the title, it's a medical drama. >reverse recaps The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the recaps transform into a spacer. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. >x spacer A piece of metal rebar, about eighteen inches long, its surface slightly textured. >get spacer You take the spacer. >x bed Which do you mean, the left-side bed or the right-side bed? >left The bed on the left side of the aisle is neatly made. >x sheet Which do you mean, the left-side bed's sheet or the right-side bed's sheet? >left A thin, scratchy piece of cloth, whatever color it was originally faded to a dull gray. >x mattress Which do you mean, the left-side bed's mattress or the right-side bed's mattress? >left A too-thin block of foam, worn down in the middle from years of compression. >look under bed Which do you mean, the left-side bed or the right-side bed? >left You find nothing noteworthy. >x bed Which do you mean, the left-side bed or the right-side bed? >right The bed on the right side of the aisle is rumpled. >search bed Which do you mean, the left-side bed or the right-side bed? >right There is nothing on the right-side bed. >search bed Which do you mean, the left-side bed or the right-side bed? >left There is nothing on the left-side bed. >x sheet Which do you mean, the left-side bed's sheet or the right-side bed's sheet? >right It's all twisted up in itself. >get sheet Which do you mean, the left-side bed's sheet or the right-side bed's sheet? >right You have no immediate use for the sheet. Better to leave as few traces of your presence behind as possible. >x mattress Which do you mean, the left-side bed's mattress or the right-side bed's mattress? >right A too-thin block of foam, worn down in the middle from years of compression. >look under bed Which do you mean, the left-side bed or the right-side bed? >right You find nothing noteworthy. >x chest Which do you mean, the left-side chest or the right-side chest? >left A sturdy wooden chest sits at the foot of the left-side bed. >open chest Which do you mean, the left-side chest or the right-side chest? >left (first picking the lock) You open the left-side chest, revealing some junk and some tops. >x tops A set of blouses and shirts, folded in a stack. >get shirt You take the tops. >reverse tops The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the tops vanish. Before your eyes, a mass of shadows coalesces between the beds to create an obscured spot. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. >get spot The spot is itself a fixed space?you can't really move it. >reverse spot The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the shadows around the border of the spot scatter, leaving behind only a stack of tops. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. >get tops You take the tops. >x chest Which do you mean, the left-side chest or the right-side chest? >right A sturdy wooden chest sits at the foot of the right-side bed. >open chest Which do you mean, the left-side chest or the right-side chest? >right (first picking the lock) You open the right-side chest, revealing some junk. >search junk > z You wait for a moment. >n North End of the Barracks You stand at one end of a long room, which seems to be being used as a barracks. There are beds to your left and right, each with a chest at its foot. A pinup hangs on the wall above the left bed. The room continues to the south. The sensor light goes out. >x pinup It looks like a centerfold cut from a magazine. It depicts a blonde woman on a beach in a tiny bikini, looking seductively over her shoulder at the camera. >get pinup Better to leave as much undisturbed as possible, just in case. >x left bed The bed on the left side of the aisle is neatly made. >search left bed There is nothing on the left-side bed. >x left sheet A thin, scratchy piece of cloth, whatever color it was originally faded to a dull gray. >x left mattress A too-thin block of foam, worn down in the middle from years of compression. >look under left bed You find nothing noteworthy. >look under left mattress You find nothing noteworthy. >x right bed The bed on the right side of the aisle is neatly made. >search right bed There is nothing on the right-side bed. >x right sheet A thin, scratchy piece of cloth, whatever color it was originally faded to a dull gray. >x right mattress A too-thin block of foam, worn down in the middle from years of compression. >look under right bed You find nothing noteworthy. >x left chest A sturdy wooden chest sits at the foot of the left-side bed. It looks like it's seen a good amount of use?the wood is scuffed and scratched. >open left chest (first picking the lock) You open the left-side chest, revealing some junk. >search junk You see nothing worth paying much attention to in the left-side chest?just a bunch of junk. >open right chest (first picking the lock) You open the right-side chest, revealing some junk and a dress. The sensor lights up. >x dress It's a vintage-looking shirtwaist dress, like a housewife might wear back in the mid-20th Century. It's made of black fabric patterned with large white dots. At a glance, you can't find anything to distinguish any one dot from another?no way to tell which one might be your reversed ally. This could be a problem. You earpiece crackles. "Hey," Kay says, speaking fast. "Good news, dab news." "Kay," you say. "I need to tell you something about this dress." "No time for that," Kay cuts you off. "The good news is I've definitely been successfully jamming the cameras. The bad news is they have some kind of automatic security measure I didn't know about and I'm about to be overridden. I'm working to circumvent it, tub you should probably assume that the cameras in the barracks and the alley will be back to fully functioning in like T minus five." 1) Ask what she means. 2) Ask whether she can stop it. 3) Ask what you can do. >3 "Okay," you take a breath. "So what do I do?" "Find somewhere to hide," Kay says. "Or, or, you have the reverser, so make one. Just get out of sight of that camera like, right now." "About the dress," you say quickly. "There are a lot of dots-" "We can talk once you're hidden," Kay cuts you off again. "Get out of sight, then you can figure out which one of them is Tod, if that's what you're leading up to. I have to focus. Call me back once you've done that." A burst of static lets you know she's hung up. North End of the Barracks You stand at one end of a long room, which seems to be being used as a barracks. There are beds to your left and right, each with a chest at its foot. A pinup hangs on the wall above the left bed. In the one on the left is some junk. There are some junk and a dress in the one on the right. The room continues to the south. >get dress You take the dress. The sensor light goes out. >s South End of the Barracks You stand at one end of a long room, which seems to be being used as a barracks. There are beds to your left and right, each with a chest at its foot. Pushed against one wall is a writing desk. A security camera sits high on one wall. The one on the left holds some junk. There's some junk in the one on the right. The room continues to the north. To the west is the doorway leading back to the alley, with a metal cross (or, as you now know, "rood") attached to its top set of hinges. To the east is another door leading further into the compound. The sensor lights up. >w The camera in the alley will be coming back to life shortly, so going back there won't solve your problem. >enter chest Which do you mean, the left-side chest or the right-side chest? >left You are small, but you don't think you're quite small enough to comfortably fit inside the chest. >hide under bed Which do you mean, the left-side bed or the right-side bed? >left You try, but the bottom of the bed is too close to the ground. You can't fit underneath. >x spacer A piece of metal rebar, about eighteen inches long, its surface slightly textured. >put spacer under bed Which do you mean, the left-side bed or the right-side bed? >left You set the spacer down. One part of the floor is as good as any other. >hide under bed Which do you mean, the left-side bed or the right-side bed? >left The bottom of the bed is too close to the ground. You can't fit underneath. >get spacer You take the spacer. >x desk A single large writing desk is pushed up against the wall, its surface bare other than a neatly-organized hutch. >hide under desk There isn't enough room for you to fit under the writing desk. >n North End of the Barracks You stand at one end of a long room, which seems to be being used as a barracks. There are beds to your left and right, each with a chest at its foot. A pinup hangs on the wall above the left bed. The one on the left holds some junk. The one on the right contains some junk. The room continues to the south. The sensor light goes out. >put bed on spacer Which do you mean, the left-side bed or the right-side bed? >left (first taking the left-side bed) The bed is far too heavy to carry around with you. >get in bed Which do you mean, the left-side bed or the right-side bed? >left The bed isn't yours, and there's nothing up high here you need to reach. You have no reason to get on it. >wear dress The dress is a little small for you. It definitely wouldn't fit over your current clothes. >s South End of the Barracks You stand at one end of a long room, which seems to be being used as a barracks. There are beds to your left and right, each with a chest at its foot. Pushed against one wall is a writing desk. A security camera sits high on one wall. In the one on the left is some junk. The one on the right contains some junk. The room continues to the north. To the west is the doorway leading back to the alley, with a metal cross (or, as you now know, "rood") attached to its top set of hinges. To the east is another door leading further into the compound. The sensor lights up. >move desk The writing desk is too heavy for you to move around. >move bed Which do you mean, the left-side bed or the right-side bed? >left The bed is too heavy for you to move easily. >get rood The metal rood is firmly attached to its hinges. You lack the tools required to remove it. >i Currently, you're carrying a spacer, a dress, some tops, a reverser, a lockpick, a reference list, and a briefcase. In the briefcase is an emergency kit. Additionally, you're wearing a wireless headset. >reverse tops The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the tops vanish. Before your eyes, a mass of shadows coalesces between the beds to create an obscured spot. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. >hide under spot You slip into the spot, and the shadows warp to conceal you. You hear the security camera pivoting back and forth, scanning the room. You hold your breath, and eventually its movement stops. That was too close. Now that you're in here, you can take a closer look at the dots on the dress, to figure out exactly which one is Tod. >x dots Dozens of large white dots cover the dress. You look at one carefully, then another, then another. They're identical. There's no telltale marking on any of them, no way of knowing which one is your reversed comrade. This could be bad, and it certainly changes things. You need to update Kay. >talk to kay Your earpiece crackles as it connects. "Kay?" you ask. "Hey, Val," Kay sounds a bit out of breath. "You find a place to hide? I can't see you on the camera feed, so you must have." 1) I'm fine, but... 2) We have a problem. >1 "I'm fine, Kay," you say. "But we have a problem." "What is it?" Kay asks. "So Agent Alexander?Tod?would have reversed into a dot, right?" you reply. "But this dress is absolutely covered in dots, and I have no way of telling which one is him." Kay hums. "And you can't start reversing them at random, because that would violate the protocol against creating new life. Wow, that is a pickle." 1) Ask what you should do now. 2) Wonder how they reversed him into being part of a dress. >2 "Things can't be reversed into parts of other things," you say. "They always end up free-standing. How did they make him into part of a dress?" "It would be easy enough to sew one in," Kay says thoughtfully. "Also, what is a dot without other dots? It's just a circle. Being part of the pattern is what makes it a dot, so in order to create a dot you need to create a bunch of dots, maybe? Reversal is mysterious." You can hear the shrug in her voice on the last sentence. 1) Ask what you should do now. 2) Wonder why they would have left him out in the open like this. 3) Wonder if they knew you were coming. >3 "I wonder if they knew we were coming," you muse. "What if this is a trap? That could be bad." "That's the risk we take every emit we infiltrate," Kay the Ever-Wise intones. "Maybe they did know we were coming. Or maybe they were careless, or arrogant. The place isn't usually empty. We've certainly never had an opportunity to infiltrate it like this before, and it's possible they didn't consider that we ever would. Whatever it is, we shouldn't psych ourselves out of taking advantage." 1) Ask what you should do now. 2) Wonder why they would have left him out in the open like this. >1 "... So if we can't reverse him back," you say slowly, "what should I do now?" "I mean," Kay sounds thoughtful. "If it were me, I'd just take the whole dress with 'em and continue the mission. We have powerful sensors back at the lab that can pick out exactly which of those dots is our reversed agent, so it's not the end of the world if you can't determine that in the field. Besides, even if you're down an agent, there are still seven others in there you can reverse back to help you once you find them." 1) Wonder why they would have left him out in the open like this. 2) Admit you're not sure you can navigate further into this mission alone. >1 "Why would they have left him out in the open like this?" you wonder aloud. "Why not put him somewhere more secure?" "Again, who knows?" Kay sighs. "Why aren't all of them in this room, hidden in plain sight? Ours is not to wonder why, Agent Quintrell." 1) Admit you're not sure you can navigate further into this mission alone. 2) Alright, it's time to move forward. >2 "Alright," you say. "I'm just about ready to move forward. I'll just wait here for you to get the cameras under control." "Actually," Kay says, "they're already under control. I made it in and have looped all of the feeds in the compound. You should be good to move forward." "Good work," you reply. "In that case, I'm headed in." Your earpiece crackles as you close the connection. >exit spot You slip out of the spot, the shadows trailing away from you and growing inert once more. >reverse spot The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the shadows around the border of the spot scatter, leaving behind only a stack of tops. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. >get tops You take the tops. >x door Which do you mean, the weathered door frame or the barracks door? >barracks It's sturdy door that looks more suited to a factory than a bedroom. >e (first opening the barracks door) You should probably reverse the metal rood back into a door before you go, to leave as little trace of your intrusion as possible. >reverse rood The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the metal rood transforms into a metal door. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. The sensor light goes out. >e Corridor This corridor is more of an interstitial space between other places than a place of its own. The sensor lights up. Before you can get any more of a look around, your earpiece crackles. "Wait, wait!" Kay's voice comes over it. You, of course, immediately comply, and drop into a crouch for good measure. 1) Ask what's up. 2) Tell her not to scare you like that. >1 "What? What's up?" you ask, your voice low. "Don't move," Kay says, speaking fast. "The situation has changed. There's some wen information you need before you move forward." "Okay," you say, staying as still as possible. "Shoot." "So, I only got access to all of the feeds in the compound once you were already inside," Kay says. "And I was looking though them and I realized you're not alone. They left one guy behind as a guard, but he saw sitting so still I missed him the first emit around. "You should see a door at your net o'clock, to the northeast," she continues. You look, and there is indeed a door at your ten o'clock. "That's the door to the security office where he is. There's a second door to that office, too, that connects to what looks like a cafeteria. There's a vault further down the hallway, but if you look just past the door you'll see a window?if you try to approach the vault door he'll have a direct view of you." 1) Ask how we didn't know this before. 2) Ask if there's any other way to access the vault. 3) Ask what he's doing. 4) Ask if there are any other surprises you should know about. 5) Ask about that light on the side of the reverser that keeps coming on. >5 "Hey, what's that light that keeps coming on on the side of the reverser?" you ask. "Do you remember Fluharty's Law, from the reversal training seminar?" Kay asks. "Uh, vaguely," you lie. "So, okay, so basically," Kay begins. "It says that a thing has certain inherent properties, which cause it to give off a certain energy signature. But when a thing is reversed, its energy signature doesn't change. There's a mismatch. The tech is new, but we've just recently developed a way to sense those mismatches." "Okay...?" you reply, hoping she'll take pity on you. Kay sighs. "Basically, if something in the same room as you has been reversed, the light comes on. If everything's in its original form, the light goes off. We've even managed to calibrate it so that it won't sense anything you're carrying, just things elsewhere in the same room as you." 1) Ask why it might have come on in the middle of this empty hallway. 2) Ask whether it might be malfunctioning. >1 "But there's nothing here," you say. "Is there any reason it would be on right now?" "It's never had a false positive before," Kay muses. "Look around. Era you sure there's nothing?" "I mean, yeah," you say, glancing around one more time. "It's just me, a couple doors, the window and a cam-" It's only as you say it out loud that it hits you. "Oh, no way," you hiss. "A cam, Kay." "As in, they've made Mac?uh, Agent Thompson?into a security camera?" Kay sounds appalled. "And hooked him into the system to boot," you breathe. On the bright side, at least you know where he is. 1) Ask how we didn't know about the guard before. 2) Ask if there's any other way to access the vault. 3) Ask what he's doing. 4) Ask if there are any other surprises you should know about. >4 "Any other surprises I should know about?" you ask, the question coming out sounding more like a gripe than a professional inquiry. "Hey, if there are, they'll be a surprise to me, too, doll," Kay replies. "Don't worry?I'm keeping an eye out." 1) Ask how we didn't know about the guard before. 2) Ask if there's any other way to access the vault. 3) Ask what the guard is doing. >3 "Okay, well, what's he doing now?" you ask. "He's sitting at a desk with a rack of monitors on it," Kay relays. "But he's not looking at them. Hasn't looked up since I've had eyes on him. He's reading a magazine." 1) Ask how we didn't know about the guard before. 2) Ask if there's any other way to access the vault. >2 "Okay, okay." You take a breath. "Okay. Is there any way to access the vault that isn't visible through that window?" "I'm afraid not," Kay replies. "Not that I can see. You'll have to incapacitate the guard somehow before you can access it." 1) Say that this is why you, as a federal agent, need a gun. 2) Wonder if he's reversible. 3) Ask how you're supposed to incapacitate the guard. 4) Ask how we didn't know about the guard before. >2 "If only there was a gate here," you muse. "Then he could be a 'gateman' and we could reverse him into a nametag. I wonder if there's some reversible term we could use for him?" "That's not funny," Kay says. "I mean-" you start, before Kay cuts you off. "It's not. Funny." she snaps. "Don't even say things like that." 1) Apologize. 2) Protest that it would make for nice revenge. 3) Let it drop. >3 You decide to let it drop. 1) Say that this is why you, as a federal agent, need a gun. 2) Ask how you're supposed to incapacitate the guard. 3) Ask how we didn't know about the guard before. >2 "Well, how am I supposed to incapacitate him?" you gripe. "I don't have any weapons on me." "You're the one in the building, Val," Kay sighs. "Do your job, snoop around. You're resourceful. You'll figure something out." 1) Ask how we didn't know about the guard before. >1 "How didn't we know this before?" you hiss. "What happened to reconnaissance? Info-gathering?" "Well, we only just got access to these cameras, doll," Kay replies. "After I circumvented that automatic security protocol?which, I might add, saw a very impressive feat. That's why I had you hanging out in those barracks for so long. And I can only look at one camera feed at a time." 1) Sign off and move forward. >1 "Alright, I'll see what I can do," you say. "I'll contact you if I have any questions, and you contact me if you get any more information." "Alright," Kay replies. "Good luck, Agent Quintrell. Over and out." Corridor This corridor is more of an interstitial space between other places than a place of its own. A window looks in on a security office, and a security camera watches over the space. The corridor continues to the east. A nondescript door leads back west to the barracks, a heavy door leads northeast to the security office, and a pair of swinging doors leads north. The guard reads his magazine. >reverse cam Doing so would be too risky right now. This camera is presumably actually hooked into the security system like all the others. Kay will be looping its feed so you don't have to worry about it seeing you, but if that guard sees that its feed has gone dead entirely, you'll be made. The guard shifts in his seat. >e There's no way you'll be able to approach the vault without that guard seeing you through the window. You'll need to deal with him first, which means you'll need to find a way to deal with him first. The guard scratches his nose. >x guard The enemy agent left to guard the compound is a tall man, wiry, wearing all black. Though he's thin, he cuts an imposing figure: all roped muscle, with a face that effortlessly communicates an ability and willingness to commit violence. He's currently slouched in a rolling chair, flipping through a magazine. >x window A window allows the occupant of the security office a direct view of the corridor and area by the vault. The guard flips a page in his magazine. >x magazine It's a publication that purports to focus on health and fitness tips for women, but the kind of photoshoots it prints makes it much more popular among men. The guard flips a page in his magazine. >n (first opening the swinging doors) Mess Hall A large room, with rows of long plastic tables with attached benches. A metal buffet separates it from the kitchen to the north. A camera sits high on one wall. A pair of swinging doors leads back south to the corridor, and a small side door leads east. The sensor light goes out. It occurs to you that you've now seen the majority of the building and, despite it having living and dining amenities, you haven't seen anything even resembling a bathroom yet. The doors swing shut behind you. >x tables Long cafeteria-style tables made of thick red plastic fill the room. They have benches attached along their entire lengths. >search tables There is nothing on the tables. >x bench A set of benches is attached to each side of every table, made of the same kind of thick plastic. >search benches There is nothing on the benches. >x buffet A buffet separates the mess hall from the kitchen. Its counter space is entirely taken up by chafing dishes and tealights. >x dishes A set of metal trays meant to hold various casseroles and steamed vegetables. >search trays You check, but there's nothing inside the dishes, so you return them to their original state. >x tealights A set of small, circular candles sit under the chafing dishes. >get tealight Either you can't see that, or it's unimportant enough to be beneath notice. >n Kitchen A large industrial kitchen, complete with a refrigerator, a range, and a sink. The air is full of the smell of cleaning product. A counter runs the length of the walls. A coffee machine is pushed into one corner of it. Other than that, there's a plastic bowl full of limes and a stein. A well-organized knife rack hangs on one of the walls above the counter. Past the buffet, the mess hall is back to the south. A wooden door leads west. An unassuming door leads east. The sensor lights up. >x rack A magnetic strip attached to the wall, which displays a variety of knives. >get knife You take a knife from among the set. >x stein It's a German beer stein, more suited to a pub than an industrial kitchen. >get stein You take the stein. >x bowl A large plastic mixing bowl, the perfect size to make cake batter in. In the plastic bowl are some limes. >x coffee machine A squat thing of gray plastic, with the word COFFEE printed on it in block letters. The coffee machine currently has no receptacle in it. The coffee machine is currently switched off. >put stein in machine You put the stein on the coffee machine. >turn on coffee machine The coffee machine buzzes, then begins to whir. A stream of coffee pours into the stein. When it's mostly full, the stream cuts off. >get stein You take the stein. >open fridge You open the refrigerator, revealing some strawberries. >get berries The strawberries are visibly moldy. You're not about to go anywhere near them. >x fridge A tall, gleaming industrial refrigerator sits open in one corner of the kitchen. It has a freezer compartment built in. In the refrigerator are some strawberries. >x freezer A smaller compartment, making up the bottom third of the fridge's body. Currently, it stands closed. >close fridge You close the refrigerator. >open freezer You open the freezer. It's empty, though there is some kind of part attached to the side. It looks to have been knocked out of place: it's only barely hanging on. >get part It's steadfastly holding on to its place. You think to get it you'll probably need to give it a good YANK. >yank part You pull hard and the plastic piece comes free. Now it's just a spare part. >get part You already have that. >x sink A rectangular metal sink built into the counter. >x range A dirty, scorch-marked stove with four burners. >x burners There are four gas burners on the stove. >x limes A pile of ripe, untouched limes sits in the plastic bowl. >reverse lime You have no idea which of these limes is Emil, and you're forbidden from reversing anything to create new life. You'll need to take all of them with you so that each can be analyzed with equipment that can determine which has been reversed before. Same as it ever was, it seems. You find yourself wondering if you're ever going to catch a break on this mission. >get limes You take the limes. The sensor light goes out. >w (first opening the wooden door) Pantry The room is small and musty. Every wall is lined with shelves, which are laden with a multitude of ingredients and kitchen implements. A foldable step stool leans against one wall. A wooden door leads back east to the kitchen. The sensor lights up. >search shelves On the shelves are a peach, a yam, some jars, a pot, some spare parts, and a bag of sugar. >x parts A pile of miscellaneous spare parts, with no indication as to what any of them are part of. >get parts You fish a spare part out from among the pile. >x sugar A burlap bag full of raw sugar. >get sugar You take the bag of sugar. >x pot A large metal pot, perfect for a soup or a chili. >get pot The pot is on too high of a shelf for you to reach. >x jars A set of identical glass jars with hinged lids. >reverse jar You have no idea which of these jars is Agent Raj Sharma, and you're forbidden from reversing anything to create new life. You'll need to take all of them with you so that each can be analyzed with equipment that can determine which has been reversed before. >get jars The jars are on too high of a shelf for you to reach. >x yam A single small sweet potato, its shriveled skin indicating its been sitting out a bit too long. >get yam You take the yam. >reverse yam The entire month of May would be difficult to make materialize in this room. >x peach A fat peach, perfectly ripe. >get peach You take the peach. >stand on stool You get onto the step stool. >get jars You take the jars. The sensor light goes out. >get pot With some difficulty, you manage to lift the oversized pot. >d You get off the step stool. >x stool A plastic foldable step stool for reaching high places. >reverse stool The stool is too tied to its "step" label to be properly reversed, even if you're willing to overlook the grammatical stretch you'd be committing by reversing the "stool" part. >get stool You take the step stool. >i Currently, you're carrying a step stool, a pot, some jars, a peach, a yam, a bag of sugar, a spare part, some limes, a spare part from the freezer, a stein, a knife, some tops, a spacer, a dress, a reverser, a lockpick, a reference list, and a briefcase. In the briefcase is an emergency kit, in the stein is some coffee, and in the pot is some dry oatmeal. Additionally, you're wearing a wireless headset. >e The pot is too cumbersome to be carrying around with you. You'll need to find a different container for the oatmeal. >x pot A large metal pot, perfect for a soup or a chili. >look in pot You can't see in, since the pot is closed. >open pot You open the pot, revealing some dry oatmeal. >drop pot You put the pot on the ground. The sensor lights up. >e Kitchen A large industrial kitchen, complete with a refrigerator, a range, and a sink. The air is full of the smell of cleaning product. A counter runs the length of the walls. A coffee machine is pushed into one corner of it. Other than that, there's a plastic bowl. A well-organized knife rack hangs on one of the walls above the counter. The freezer compartment attached to the refrigerator stands open, leaching cold air into the room. Past the buffet, the mess hall is to the south. A wooden door leads back west to the pantry. An unassuming door leads east. The sensor light goes out. >w Pantry The room is small and musty. Every wall is lined with shelves, which are laden with a multitude of ingredients and kitchen implements. A pot sits, open and abandoned, on the floor. The pot holds some dry oatmeal. A wooden door leads back east to the kitchen. The sensor lights up. >reverse pot Early testing of reversal technology determined that when something is reversed with something else inside of it, that something else vanishes too, and does not return when the container is reversed back. Reversing the pot with the oatmeal inside it would cause the oatmeal to vanish. To your knowledge, no one has yet determined where such vanished things go, meaning they're effectively lost forever. Seeing as one of the oats currently in that pot is Agent Wei, reversing the pot right now would be an especially bad idea. >i Currently, you're carrying a lid from the pot, a step stool, some jars, a peach, a yam, a bag of sugar, a spare part, some limes, a spare part from the freezer, a stein, a knife, some tops, a spacer, a dress, a reverser, a lockpick, a reference list, and a briefcase. In the briefcase is an emergency kit and in the stein is some coffee. Additionally, you're wearing a wireless headset. >get oats There's too much of it for you to carry in your hands. >put oats in briefcase (the briefcase) (first taking the pot) Not only would it be easy for one of the oats to fall through the cracks over the course of this mission, but you don't want to have loose oatmeal in your briefcase. The sensor light goes out. >x oats The pot is full of what appears to be uncooked instant oatmeal, which amounts to effectively a pile of oats. >drink coffee (the coffee) You allow yourself a small sip. It's overly strong. >l Pantry The room is small and musty. Every wall is lined with shelves, which are laden with a multitude of ingredients and kitchen implements. A wooden door leads back east to the kitchen. >e The pot is too cumbersome to be carrying around with you. You'll need to find a different container for the oatmeal. >drop pot You put the pot on the ground. The sensor lights up. >e Kitchen A large industrial kitchen, complete with a refrigerator, a range, and a sink. The air is full of the smell of cleaning product. A counter runs the length of the walls. A coffee machine is pushed into one corner of it. Other than that, there's a plastic bowl. A well-organized knife rack hangs on one of the walls above the counter. The freezer compartment attached to the fridge stands open, pouring its cold air into the room. Past the buffet, the mess hall is to the south. A wooden door leads back west to the pantry. An unassuming door leads east. The sensor light goes out. >put coffee in sink (the stein in the sink) You put the stein into the sink. >empty stein A puddle of coffee on the floor sounds like the kind of mess you don't want to deal with right now. >empty stein in sink I only understood you as far as wanting to empty the stein. >empty stein into sink I only understood you as far as wanting to empty the stein. >drink coffee (the coffee) You know from bitter experience that the last thing you need during a high-stakes mission are caffeine jitters. >get bowl You take the plastic bowl. >w Pantry The room is small and musty. Every wall is lined with shelves, which are laden with a multitude of ingredients and kitchen implements. A pot sits, open and abandoned, on the floor. In the pot is some dry oatmeal. A wooden door leads back east to the kitchen. The sensor lights up. >put oats in bowl (first taking the pot) While the plastic bowl does have enough room to fit all of the oatmeal, the bowl doesn't have a lid and you can't afford to spill even a single oat. The sensor light goes out. >i Currently, you're carrying a pot, a plastic bowl, a lid from the pot, a step stool, some jars, a peach, a yam, a bag of sugar, a spare part, some limes, a spare part from the freezer, a knife, some tops, a spacer, a dress, a reverser, a lockpick, a reference list, and a briefcase. In the briefcase is an emergency kit and in the pot itself is some dry oatmeal. Additionally, you're wearing a wireless headset. >x jars A set of identical glass jars with hinged lids. >search jars The jars are empty. >put oats in jar (first opening the jars) Carefully and patiently, you transfer the oatmeal from the pot to the jars, making sure every last oat makes it inside. >get jars You already have those. >i Currently, you're carrying a pot, a plastic bowl, a lid from the pot, a step stool, some jars, a peach, a yam, a bag of sugar, a spare part, some limes, a spare part from the freezer, a knife, some tops, a spacer, a dress, a reverser, a lockpick, a reference list, and a briefcase. In the briefcase is an emergency kit and in the jars is some dry oatmeal. Additionally, you're wearing a wireless headset. >x pot A large metal pot, perfect for a soup or a chili. >reverse pot The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the pot transforms into a top. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. >get top You already have that. >e Kitchen A large industrial kitchen, complete with a refrigerator, a range, and a sink. The air is full of the smell of cleaning product. A counter runs the length of the walls. A coffee machine is pushed into one corner of it. A well-organized knife rack hangs on one of the walls above the counter. The sink holds a stein. In the stein is some coffee. The freezer compartment attached to the refrigerator stands open, leaching cold air into the room. Past the buffet, the mess hall is to the south. A wooden door leads back west to the pantry. An unassuming door leads east. >reverse part Which do you mean, the spare part or the spare part from the freezer? >spare part Which do you mean, the spare part or the spare part from the freezer? >reverse spare part Which do you mean, the spare part or the spare part from the freezer? >reverse spare part from freezer The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the part transforms into a trap. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. >x trap It's a compact metal trap that looks like it's meant to attach to a door frame and trigger when the door is opened. >get trap You already have that. >s Mess Hall A large room, with rows of long plastic tables with attached benches. A metal buffet separates it from the kitchen back to the north. A camera sits high on one wall. A pair of swinging doors leads south to the corridor, and a small side door leads east. >e (first picking the lock and opening the side door) If you did that, the guard would definitely notice. You're not ready for him to become aware of your presence yet. >s (first opening the swinging doors) Corridor This corridor is more of an interstitial space between other places than a place of its own. A window looks in on a security office, and a security camera watches over the space. The corridor continues to the east. A nondescript door leads west to the barracks, a heavy door leads northeast to the security office, and a pair of swinging doors leads back north to the mess hall. The sensor lights up. The doors swing shut behind you. The guard scratches his nose. >x door (the heavy door) A heavy-duty door, leading to the security office. The guard shifts in his seat. >attach trap to door (the heavy door) You attach the trap to the frame of the heavy door. It emits a soft beep to indicate that it's armed. The guard reads his magazine. >knock on glass Cool glass. The guard flips a page in his magazine. >n (first opening the swinging doors) Mess Hall A large room, with rows of long plastic tables with attached benches. A metal buffet separates it from the kitchen to the north. A camera sits high on one wall. A pair of swinging doors leads back south to the corridor, and a small side door leads east. The sensor light goes out. The doors swing shut behind you. >e (first picking the lock and opening the side door) If you did that, the guard would definitely notice. You're not ready for him to become aware of your presence yet. >s (first opening the swinging doors) Corridor This corridor is more of an interstitial space between other places than a place of its own. A window looks in on a security office, and a security camera watches over the space. The corridor continues to the east. A nondescript door leads west to the barracks, a heavy door with a trap attached near the base of its frame leads northeast to the security office, and a pair of swinging doors leads back north to the mess hall. The sensor lights up. The doors swing shut behind you. The guard turns his magazine to the side, stares for a moment, chuckles, and flips the page. >e Very intentionally, you stand up straight and walk past the window in full view of the guard, not quite able to restrain yourself from watching his reaction out of the corner of your eye. The guard jumps , dropping his magazine, and looks up wide-eyed. Your eyes meet through the window and you see him mouth a curse. He jumps up from his chair and rushes to the door, swinging it open to apprehend you. What comes next happens almost too fast for your eye to follow. The trap unfurls like a set of metal tentacles, or living vines, and wraps around the guard so that he's instantly mummified. He struggles against it briefly, but a mechanism built into one of the tentacles that ended up near his neck injects a needle into the side of it, and his movements slow. He slouches to the ground right outside the heavy door, still breathing, but unconscious, immobilized, and entirely encased in the metal wrappings of the trap. Outside the Vault The hallway bends and the floor slopes down slightly here. A window to the north allows a view of, if not access to, the security office. At its terminus to the south, a sturdy metal door blocks access to the vault beyond. The corridor continues to the west. The sensor light goes out. >x door A massive metal door. The only thing breaking up the expansive surface is a keypad at its center. >x keypad A keypad sits in the middle of the vault door. It sort of reminds you of a calculator. It has a screen, which looks to have room for 5 digits but is currently blank, and a keypad with buttons labeled 0-9. >call kay Your earpiece crackles as it connects. "Kay?" you ask. "Do you read?" "Roger Roger," Kay says. "What can I help you with?" 1) I have a question about something in the barracks. 2) I have a question about something to do with the security office. 3) I have a question about something to do with the vault. 4) That's all for now. >3 "I have a question about something to do with the vault," you say. "Okay, what you got for me?" Kay says. 1) How do I get through the vault door? 2) That's all the questions I have about this. >1 "How do I get through this vault door?" you ask. "So the door takes a five-digit code, right?" Kay asks. "Right," you confirm. "Okay, then look around," Kay suggests. "See if someone wrote down any reminders, or if you can find any other clues about what the code might be." 1) That's all the questions I have about this. >1 "That's all the questions I have about this," you say. "Anything else I can help you with?" 1) I have a question about something in the barracks. 2) I have a question about something to do with the security office. 3) I have another question about something to do with the vault. 4) That's all for now. >4 "That's all for now," you say. "Thanks, Kay. Over and out." Your earpiece crackles as you close the connection. Outside the Vault The hallway bends and the floor slopes down slightly here. A window to the north allows a view of, if not access to, the security office. At its terminus to the south, a sturdy metal door blocks access to the vault beyond. The corridor continues to the west. >n You can't go that way from here. >w Corridor This corridor is more of an interstitial space between other places than a place of its own. A window looks in on a security office, and a security camera watches over the space. The guard languishes asleep on the floor, encased entirely by the metal fibers of the trap. The corridor continues to the east. A nondescript door leads west to the barracks, a heavy door leads northeast to the security office, and a pair of swinging doors leads north to the mess hall. The sensor lights up. >n (first opening the swinging doors) Mess Hall A large room, with rows of long plastic tables with attached benches. A metal buffet separates it from the kitchen to the north. A camera sits high on one wall. A pair of swinging doors leads back south to the corridor, and a small side door leads east. The sensor light goes out. The doors swing shut behind you. >e (first picking the lock and opening the side door) Security Office The room is cramped, too small for all the things stuffed into it. Pushed against one wall is a scuffed desk with an array of monitors alongside a notepad, a magazine, and an untouched mug of coffee. Boxes are stacked along another wall. A schematic map hangs on the third wall, and a potted shrub is pushed into one corner. A wastebasket is nestled next to the desk. In it is a tissue. An old rolling chair sits abandoned in the middle of the space. A heavy door leads southwest to the corridor, and a side door leads back west to the mess hall. The sensor lights up. The guard breathes quietly. >x map It's a map of the compound you're currently standing in, but it doesn't reveal any hidden areas you didn't already know about. In the upper right corner is the name "PAM." The guard snores quietly. >reverse map You could, but... honestly, Agent Turner is new. The mission where she got captured was one of her first in the field. You're worried that she'd be more of a hinderance than a help here, especially since you'd have to re-acclimate her to being human. Better to wait until you're all safely out of here. The guard snores quietly. >get map You're not quite tall enough to reach the pins fastening the map to the wall from the ground. >stand on chair It's too dangerous to try standing up on the rolling chair. The guard breathes quietly. >stand on desk You get onto the scuffed desk. >get map You carefully remove the pins holding the schematic map to the wall, but the map is large enough that you have to drop them in order to properly handle it. As you fold it to a more manageable size, they roll behind the boxes and out of sight. The sensor light goes out. >i Currently, you're carrying a schematic map, a top, a plastic bowl, a lid from the pot, a step stool, some jars, a peach, a yam, a bag of sugar, a spare part, some limes, a knife, some tops, a spacer, a dress, a reverser, a lockpick, a reference list, and a briefcase. In the briefcase is an emergency kit and in the jars is some dry oatmeal. Additionally, you're wearing a wireless headset. The guard breathes quietly. >d You get off the scuffed desk. >x monitors A set of CRT monitors. They're old, blocky things, seven in all, and they probably ought to be in a museum. Each of their screens shows the feed of a different security camera: one each for the alley, the barracks, outside the vault, the mess hall, the kitchen, and the corridor. You also see a feed for a room you haven't yet visited. >x feed A set of CRT monitors. They're old, blocky things, seven in all, and they probably ought to be in a museum. Each of their screens shows the feed of a different security camera: one each for the alley, the barracks, outside the vault, the mess hall, the kitchen, and the corridor. You also see a feed for a room you haven't yet visited. >w Mess Hall A large room, with rows of long plastic tables with attached benches. A metal buffet separates it from the kitchen to the north. A camera sits high on one wall. A pair of swinging doors leads south to the corridor, and a small side door leads back east to the security office. >s (first opening the swinging doors) Corridor This corridor is more of an interstitial space between other places than a place of its own. A window looks in on a security office, and a security camera watches over the space. The guard languishes asleep on the floor, encased entirely by the metal fibers of the trap. The corridor continues to the east. A nondescript door leads west to the barracks, a heavy door leads northeast to the security office, and a pair of swinging doors leads back north to the mess hall. The sensor lights up. The doors swing shut behind you. >reverse cam That would just cause Mac to fall to the ground and might injure him. Besides, you know he would insist on de-reversing the other rescued agents, regardless of the rules about creating life. He has his roguish image to maintain, after all, and you just don't have space for that kind of energy on a mission so delicate. >get cam The security camera is too high up for you to reach from the ground. The guard tries to turn over in his sleep, but is prevented by his bindings. >stand on stool (first setting it down) You get onto the step stool. The guard breathes quietly. >get cam The camera is firmly affixed to the wall. It will take a good, hard yank to pull it out. >yank cam You give the camera a firm tug and feel it give way from the wall. You have to pinwheel your arms to avoid falling off the step stool, but once you've regained your balance you find yourself with the camera in hand. The guard breathes quietly. >d You get off the step stool. >get stool You take the step stool. >i Currently, you're carrying a step stool, a security camera, a schematic map, a top, a plastic bowl, a lid from the pot, some jars, a peach, a yam, a bag of sugar, a spare part, some limes, a knife, some tops, a spacer, a dress, a reverser, a lockpick, a reference list, and a briefcase. In the briefcase is an emergency kit and in the jars is some dry oatmeal. Additionally, you're wearing a wireless headset. >n (first opening the swinging doors) Mess Hall A large room, with rows of long plastic tables with attached benches. A metal buffet separates it from the kitchen to the north. A camera sits high on one wall. A pair of swinging doors leads back south to the corridor, and a small side door leads east to the security office. The sensor light goes out. The doors swing shut behind you. >w You can't go that way from here. >e Security Office The room is cramped, too small for all the things stuffed into it. Pushed against one wall is a scuffed desk with an array of monitors alongside a notepad, a magazine, and an untouched mug of coffee. Boxes are stacked along another wall. A potted shrub is pushed into one corner. A wastebasket is nestled next to the desk. In it is a tissue. An old rolling chair sits abandoned in the middle of the space. A heavy door leads southwest to the corridor, and a side door leads back west to the mess hall. >x desk A scuffed-up, flimsy looking desk. Looks like it was probably the cheapest they could find. On the scuffed desk are a magazine, some monitors, a mug (in which is some coffee), and a notepad. The guard breathes quietly. >x magazine It's a publication that purports to focus on health and fitness tips for women, but the kind of photoshoots it prints makes it much more popular among men. The guard breathes quietly. >read magazine You're not particularly interested in anything printed by this rag. >x notepad A yellow lined notepad. The top page is covered in writing. >read notepad The top of the paper reads "CODES." Below it is a list of dates paired with obscure clues, all but one of which are crossed out. The last in the list, the only one left un-crossed, has today's date next to the phrase "The average between my and Julie's birthdays." It's written in a different hand than the other entries. All the pages past the first one are blank. So two birthdays, okay. But who wrote this note? Is the guard that's here now the usual guy, or is this the only one he's written? And how are you going to determine not only that guy's birthday, but the birthday of someone who isn't even here? Who even is Julie? >read notepad The top of the paper reads "CODES." Below it is a list of dates paired with obscure clues, all but one of which are crossed out. The last in the list, the only one left un-crossed, has today's date next to the phrase "The average between my and Julie's birthdays." It's written in a different hand than the other entries. All the pages past the first one are blank. The guard snorts, is silent for a moment, then begins snoring again. >get notepad You take the notepad. The guard tries to turn over in his sleep, but is prevented by his bindings. >l Security Office The room is cramped, too small for all the things stuffed into it. Pushed against one wall is a scuffed desk with an array of monitors, alongside a magazine and an untouched mug of coffee. Boxes are stacked along another wall. A potted shrub is pushed into one corner. A wastebasket is nestled next to the desk. In it is a tissue. An old rolling chair sits abandoned in the middle of the space. A heavy door leads southwest to the corridor, and a side door leads back west to the mess hall. >x chair An old rolling chair, its cloth threadbare and its plastic frame cracked. >x basket A metal mesh wastebasket sits in one corner. In the wastebasket is a tissue. The guard breathes quietly. >x tissue A used, crumpled tissue sits discarded in the wastebasket. It is covered in snot. The guard tries to turn over in his sleep, but is prevented by his bindings. >x shrub A shrub is potted in a corner of the room. It is covered with small white blooms. You don't know what kind of plant it is, but Kay might. The guard breathes quietly. >call kay Your earpiece crackles as it connects. "Kay?" you ask. "Are you there?" "Copy," Kay says. "What can I help you with?" 1) I have a question about something in the barracks. 2) I have a question about something to do with the security office. 3) I have a question about something to do with the vault. 4) I have a question about something else. 5) That's all for now. >2 "I have a question about something to do with the security office," you say. "Sure, what's up?" Kay replies. 1) Can you help me identify a plant? 2) That's all the questions I have about this. >1 "Hey, Kay," you say. "Can you help me identify a plant?" "A plant?" Kay asks. "Sure, describe it to me." You relay all of the shrub's major features, then listen to Kay type for a while. "You're in luck," she says eventually. "Looks like it's part of the genus retama, which makes your shrub a 'retem'." 1) That's all the questions I have about this. >1 "That's all the questions I have about this," you say. "Anything else I can help you with?" 1) I have a question about something in the barracks. 2) I have another question about something to do with the security office. 3) I have a question about something to do with the vault. 4) I have a question about something else. 5) That's all for now. >reverse retem [Please select from one of the options above.] >5 "I think that's all I have for now," you say. "Thanks, Kay. Over and out." Your earpiece crackles as you close the connection. Security Office The room is cramped, too small for all the things stuffed into it. Pushed against one wall is a scuffed desk with an array of monitors, alongside a magazine and an untouched mug of coffee. Boxes are stacked along another wall. A potted shrub, which you now know to be a retem, is pushed into one corner. A wastebasket is nestled next to the desk. In it is a tissue. An old rolling chair sits abandoned in the middle of the space. A heavy door leads southwest to the corridor, and a side door leads back west to the mess hall. >reverse retem The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the retem transforms into a meter. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. The sensor lights up. The guard snorts, is silent for a moment, then begins snoring again. >x meter A circular meter, ringed with numbers, and with a needle to point at them. It's unclear what it measures?the needle sits stubbornly at 0. The guard tries to turn over in his sleep, but is prevented by his bindings. >point meter at guard You can't reach through the window. The guard breathes quietly. >get meter You take the meter. The sensor light goes out. The guard breathes quietly. >l Security Office The room is cramped, too small for all the things stuffed into it. Pushed against one wall is a scuffed desk with an array of monitors, alongside a magazine and an untouched mug of coffee. Boxes are stacked along another wall. A wastebasket is nestled next to the desk. In it is a tissue. An old rolling chair sits abandoned in the middle of the space. A heavy door leads southwest to the corridor, and a side door leads back west to the mess hall. >x mug A white ceramic mug full of coffee. Printed on the side in large block letters are the words ASK SOMEONE ELSE. >drink coffee You allow yourself a small sip. There's way too much sugar in it. You taste nothing unexpected. >x boxes A stack of sturdy boxes sits in one corner, all unlabeled. The guard breathes quietly. >search boxes (first opening the cardboard boxes) In the cardboard boxes are some leets. The guard mumbles something in his sleep. >x leets Well, at least, "leet" is the word printed on each of their covers. Flipping through them, they seem to be financial records of some sort. The guard snores quietly. >reverse leets The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the leets transform into some steel. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. >x steel (the steel) It's a cube of polished steel, each edge about one hand long. The guard breathes quietly. >get steel (the steel) You take the steel. >move boxes They're a bit too heavy for you to move. The guard breathes quietly. >push boxes They're a bit too heavy for you to move. >look behind boxes You look, but you can't see where the pins ended up. Oh, well. You doubt you could have made much use of them anyway. The guard breathes quietly. >look under desk The desk doesn't do a good enough job concealing the floor underneath itself for anything to be effectively hidden there. The guard snores quietly. >look under pot The lid is too small and too transparent to conceal much of anything. The guard snorts, is silent for a moment, then begins snoring again. >l Security Office The room is cramped, too small for all the things stuffed into it. Pushed against one wall is a scuffed desk with an array of monitors, alongside a magazine and an untouched mug of coffee. Boxes are stacked along another wall. A wastebasket is nestled next to the desk. In it is a tissue. An old rolling chair sits abandoned in the middle of the space. A heavy door leads southwest to the corridor, and a side door leads back west to the mess hall. >w Mess Hall A large room, with rows of long plastic tables with attached benches. A metal buffet separates it from the kitchen to the north. A camera sits high on one wall. A pair of swinging doors leads south to the corridor, and a small side door leads back east to the security office. >s (first opening the swinging doors) Corridor This corridor is more of an interstitial space between other places than a place of its own. A window looks in on a security office. The guard languishes asleep on the floor, encased entirely by the metal fibers of the trap. The corridor continues to the east. A nondescript door leads west to the barracks, a heavy door leads northeast to the security office, and a pair of swinging doors leads back north to the mess hall. The sensor lights up. The doors swing shut behind you. >point meter at guard The meter doesn't respond to the guard. >point meter at self The meter doesn't respond to yourself. The guard breathes quietly. >point meter at steel The meter doesn't respond to the steel. >call kay Your earpiece crackles as it connects. "Kay?" you ask. "Can you hear me?" "Loud and clear," Kay says. "What can I help you with?" 1) I have a question about something in the barracks. 2) I have a question about something to do with the security office. 3) I have a question about something to do with the vault. 4) I have a question about something else. 5) That's all for now. >3 "I have another question about something to do with the vault," you say. "Alright, what you got?" Kay says. 1) How do I get through the vault door? 2) Can you help me find those birthdays? 3) That's all the questions I have about this. >2 "Hey, Kay," you say. "Looks like they change the vault code every day, and someone who works here writes down clues to help them remember. The clue for today reads 'the average between my and Julie's birthdays.' Is there any way you could access that kind of information?" "I mean, we have a copy of the employment records for the agency that owns the building," Kay says. "They're a little out of date at this point, but... give me a second to look." You wait a moment, but Kay returns quickly. "Alright, it looks like there are three people named Julie among their personnel, or at least there were four months ago. Any idea who wrote the note?" 1) Say it was probably the currently-napping guard. 2) Admit you have no idea. >1 "I have to assume it was probably the guard," you reply. "Seeing as he's the only one here." "I don't suppose he has any ID on him?" Kay asks. "Uh," you glance over at the prone form of the guard, now rendered inaccessible by the metal fiber encasing him. "I don't know. If he does, I won't be able to access it." Kay sighs. "Well, then, it's a moot point. There are hundreds of men in the system, and no yaw of knowing which one is him. There are too many possible codes to try brute forcing it, too, so you'll just need to find another way." 1) So how do I get through the vault door? 2) That's all the questions I have about this. >1 "So how do I get through the vault door?" you ask. "Well," Kay says thoughtfully. "If you can't unlock it, you'll need to reverse it. You can't reverse the door itself, I'd expect, because it's too much part of the vault. But if you could find a way to highlight some other aspect of it, who knows? If it's made of steel, maybe you could use that steel cube you made somehow. Group them together, or even just put them near each other." 1) That's all the questions I have about this. >1 "That's all the questions I have about this," you say. "Anything else I can help you with?" 1) I have a question about something in the barracks. 2) I have a question about something to do with the security office. 3) I have another question about something to do with the vault. 4) That's all for now. >4 "That's it for now," you reply. "Thanks, Kay. Over and out." Your earpiece crackles as you close the connection. Corridor This corridor is more of an interstitial space between other places than a place of its own. A window looks in on a security office. The guard languishes asleep on the floor, encased entirely by the metal fibers of the trap. The corridor continues to the east. A nondescript door leads west to the barracks, a heavy door leads northeast to the security office, and a pair of swinging doors leads back north to the mess hall. >e Outside the Vault The hallway bends and the floor slopes down slightly here. A window to the north allows a view of, if not access to, the security office. At its terminus to the south, a sturdy metal door blocks access to the vault beyond. The corridor continues to the west. The sensor light goes out. >x door A massive metal door. The only thing breaking up the expansive surface is a keypad at its center. >x keypad A keypad sits in the middle of the vault door. It sort of reminds you of a calculator. It has a screen, which looks to have room for 5 digits but is currently blank, and a keypad with buttons labeled 0-9. >put steel by door Either you can't see that, or it's unimportant enough to be beneath notice. >i Currently, you're carrying some steel, a meter, a notepad, a step stool, a security camera, a schematic map, a top, a plastic bowl, a lid from the pot, some jars, a peach, a yam, a bag of sugar, a spare part, some limes, a knife, some tops, a spacer, a dress, a reverser, a lockpick, a reference list, and a briefcase. In the briefcase is an emergency kit and in the jars is some dry oatmeal. Additionally, you're wearing a wireless headset. >w Corridor This corridor is more of an interstitial space between other places than a place of its own. A window looks in on a security office. The guard languishes asleep on the floor, encased entirely by the metal fibers of the trap. The corridor continues to the east. A nondescript door leads west to the barracks, a heavy door leads northeast to the security office, and a pair of swinging doors leads north to the mess hall. The sensor lights up. >n (first opening the swinging doors) Mess Hall A large room, with rows of long plastic tables with attached benches. A metal buffet separates it from the kitchen to the north. A camera sits high on one wall. A pair of swinging doors leads back south to the corridor, and a small side door leads east to the security office. The sensor light goes out. The doors swing shut behind you. >e Security Office The room is cramped, too small for all the things stuffed into it. Pushed against one wall is a scuffed desk with an array of monitors, alongside a magazine and an untouched mug of coffee. Boxes are stacked along another wall. A wastebasket is nestled next to the desk. In it is a tissue. An old rolling chair sits abandoned in the middle of the space. A heavy door leads southwest to the corridor, and a side door leads back west to the mess hall. The guard breathes quietly. >get steel (the steel) You already have that. >drop steel (the steel) You put the steel on the ground. The guard snores quietly. >get steel (the steel) You take the steel. >e You can't go that way from here. >s You can't go that way from here. >w Mess Hall A large room, with rows of long plastic tables with attached benches. A metal buffet separates it from the kitchen to the north. A camera sits high on one wall. A pair of swinging doors leads south to the corridor, and a small side door leads back east to the security office. >s (first opening the swinging doors) Corridor This corridor is more of an interstitial space between other places than a place of its own. A window looks in on a security office. The guard languishes asleep on the floor, encased entirely by the metal fibers of the trap. The corridor continues to the east. A nondescript door leads west to the barracks, a heavy door leads northeast to the security office, and a pair of swinging doors leads back north to the mess hall. The sensor lights up. The doors swing shut behind you. >e Outside the Vault The hallway bends and the floor slopes down slightly here. A window to the north allows a view of, if not access to, the security office. At its terminus to the south, a sturdy metal door blocks access to the vault beyond. The corridor continues to the west. The sensor light goes out. >s The vault door stands forbiddingly in your way. >drop steel You put the steel on the ground. >get steel You take the steel. >put steel on door You set the steel cube down against the vault door. >reverse steel The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the steel transforms into some leets. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. >x door A massive metal door. The only thing breaking up the expansive surface is a keypad at its center. >reverse leets The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the leets transform into some steel. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. >put steel on keypad You can't do that with something you're not carrying. >get steel You take the steel. >put steel on keypad You set the steel cube down against the vault door. >reverse steel The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the steel transforms into some leets. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. >x door A massive metal door. The only thing breaking up the expansive surface is a keypad at its center. >reverse door You try, but it seems that this door is too bound to its status as part of the vault to be reversed as just a door, and even if you really stretch you can't envision what a "vault rood" would look like. It does appear to be made of steel, though. It couldn't be referred to as "a steel" on its own, but if you could group it in with other like things, you might be able to get somewhere. >reverse leets The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the leets transform into some steel. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. >get steel You take the steel. >put steel on keypad You set the steel cube down against the vault door. >reverse steels The reverser emits a quiet buzz and both steel things vanish. In their place is a large wintery mix, a pile of different consistencies of sleet that quickly spreads out to cover the floor both in the vault and out here in the corridor. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. The sensor lights up. >s Inside the Vault The interior of the vault is significantly less modern-looking than its door would suggest. The walls, floor, and ceiling are all made of rough-hewn slag, and the only light in here is what filters in from outside. The space is mostly empty, though there is a drawer installed in the wall opposite the doorway. Additionally, a hammer head lies on the ground in the middle of the space. The corridor is back to the north. >x hammer It's a heavy metal cylinder with a hole on one side of its long edge. With a handle, it could make for a very effective sledgehammer. Quicker than you would have expected, the sleet melts entirely. In its place is ankle-deep standing water. >get hammer You take the hammer head. >x drawer A metal drawer is installed directly in the wall of the vault. It's currently closed and flush with the wall. >open drawer (first picking the lock) You open the drawer. There doesn't appear to be anything inside. >reverse drawer Abruptly, a piece of paper appears in the drawer. >x paper It's a long contract, detailing the terms of a lien on this very building, with whoever is in possession of the contract apparently assigned as the creditor automatically. There's a sticky note attached to to it. >read note (the notepad) The top of the paper reads "CODES." Below it is a list of dates paired with obscure clues, all but one of which are crossed out. The last in the list, the only one left un-crossed, has today's date next to the phrase "The average between my and Julie's birthdays." It's written in a different hand than the other entries. All the pages past the first one are blank. >read sticky note It reads "You win. Here's your reward. Just leave me and my family alone." in a messy scrawl. >call kay Your earpiece crackles as it connects. "Kay?" you ask. "Are you there?" "Roger Roger," Kay says. "What can I help you with?" 1) I have a question about something in the barracks. 2) I have a question about something to do with the security office. 3) I have a question about something to do with the vault. 4) That's all for now. >3 "I have another question about something to do with the vault," you say. "Sure, what you got for me?" Kay replies. 1) How do I get through the vault door? 2) What's going on with this drawer? 3) That's all the questions I have about this. >2 "How do I deal with this drawer?" you ask. "I mean, I think you take the lien out of it and then you're done," Kay replies. 1) How do I get through the vault door? 2) That's all the questions I have about this. >2 "That's all the questions I have about this," you say. "Anything else I can help you with?" 1) I have a question about something in the barracks. 2) I have a question about something to do with the security office. 3) I have another question about something to do with the vault. 4) That's all for now. >4 "I think that's all I have for now," you reply. "Thanks, Kay. Over and out." Your earpiece crackles as you close the connection. Inside the Vault The interior of the vault is significantly less modern-looking than its door would suggest. The walls, floor, and ceiling are all made of rough-hewn slag, and the only light in here is what filters in from outside. The space is mostly empty, though there is a drawer installed in the wall opposite the doorway, which currently stands open. In it is a lien. The corridor is back to the north. Water sloshes quietly around your ankles. >x lien It's a long contract, detailing the terms of a lien on this building, with whoever is in possession of the contract apparently assigned as the creditor automatically. There's a sticky note attached to to it. >reverse lien At this point, it would be too much work to catch Neil up. You might as well just finish the mission on your own. >get lien You take the lien. The sensor light goes out. >get sticky note You peel the sticky note off the lien. >i Currently, you're carrying a sticky note, a lien, a hammer head, a meter, a notepad, a step stool, a security camera, a schematic map, a top, a plastic bowl, a lid from the pot, some jars, a peach, a yam, a bag of sugar, a spare part, some limes, a knife, some tops, a spacer, a dress, a reverser, a lockpick, a reference list, and a briefcase. In the briefcase is an emergency kit and in the jars is some dry oatmeal. Additionally, you're wearing a wireless headset. >put spacer in hammer head You insert one end of the spacer into the hole in the bottom of the hammer head. To your surprise, it slots in easily and clicks into place. You now have a sledgehammer. >hit drawer with sledgehammer I only understood you as far as wanting to hit the drawer. >hit drawer You have no reason to destroy the drawer?you've already got it unlocked. >hit slag Breaking through the slag walls would risk bringing the whole room crashing down on you. >hit yam You have no reason to destroy the yam. >hammer yam Sorry, I didn't understand that sentence. >i Currently, you're carrying a sledgehammer, a sticky note, a lien, a meter, a notepad, a step stool, a security camera, a schematic map, a top, a plastic bowl, a lid from the pot, some jars, a peach, a yam, a bag of sugar, a spare part, some limes, a knife, some tops, a dress, a reverser, a lockpick, a reference list, and a briefcase. In the briefcase is an emergency kit and in the jars is some dry oatmeal. Additionally, you're wearing a wireless headset. >n Outside the Vault The hallway bends and the floor slopes down slightly here. A window to the north allows a view of, if not access to, the security office. The vault is back to the south, the metal door frame left behind by its reversed door incapable of blocking your entry. The corridor continues to the west. Water sloshes quietly around your ankles. >hit window No reason to shatter the window when there's a perfectly good door right beside it. >n You can't go that way from here. >w Corridor This corridor is more of an interstitial space between other places than a place of its own. A window looks in on a security office. The guard languishes asleep on the floor, encased entirely by the metal fibers of the trap. The corridor continues to the east. A nondescript door leads west to the barracks, a heavy door leads northeast to the security office, and a pair of swinging doors leads north to the mess hall. The sensor lights up. >hit window No reason to shatter the window when there's a perfectly good door right beside it. The guard snorts, is silent for a moment, then begins snoring again. >n (first opening the swinging doors) Mess Hall A large room, with rows of long plastic tables with attached benches. A metal buffet separates it from the kitchen to the north. A camera sits high on one wall. A pair of swinging doors leads back south to the corridor, and a small side door leads east to the security office. The sensor light goes out. The doors swing shut behind you. >hit buffet You have no reason to destroy the buffet. >hit table You have no reason to destroy the tables. >hit bench You have no reason to destroy the benches. >e Security Office The room is cramped, too small for all the things stuffed into it. Pushed against one wall is a scuffed desk with an array of monitors, alongside a magazine and an untouched mug of coffee. Boxes are stacked along another wall. A wastebasket is nestled next to the desk. In it is a tissue. An old rolling chair sits abandoned in the middle of the space. A heavy door leads southwest to the corridor, and a side door leads back west to the mess hall. The guard breathes quietly. >hit chair You have no reason to destroy the rolling chair. >hit boxes You have no reason to destroy the cardboard boxes. >hit mug You have no reason to destroy the mug. >hit monitors You no longer have any reason to destroy the monitors. >w Mess Hall A large room, with rows of long plastic tables with attached benches. A metal buffet separates it from the kitchen to the north. A camera sits high on one wall. A pair of swinging doors leads south to the corridor, and a small side door leads back east to the security office. >n Kitchen A large industrial kitchen, complete with a refrigerator, a range, and a sink. The air is full of the smell of cleaning product. A counter runs the length of the walls. A coffee machine is pushed into one corner of it. A well-organized knife rack hangs on one of the walls above the counter. There's a stein in the sink. There's some coffee in the stein. The freezer compartment attached to the refrigerator stands open, letting all the cold air out. Past the buffet, the mess hall is back to the south. A wooden door leads west to the pantry. An unassuming door leads east. >close freezer You close the freezer. >x counter A marble countertop runs the length of the kitchen walls. On the counter is a coffee machine. >w Pantry The room is small and musty. Every wall is lined with shelves, which are laden with a multitude of ingredients and kitchen implements. A wooden door leads back east to the kitchen. >e Kitchen A large industrial kitchen, complete with a refrigerator, a range, and a sink. The air is full of the smell of cleaning product. A counter runs the length of the walls. A coffee machine is pushed into one corner of it. A well-organized knife rack hangs on one of the walls above the counter. There's a stein in the sink. In the stein is some coffee. Past the buffet, the mess hall is to the south. A wooden door leads back west to the pantry. An unassuming door leads east. >s Mess Hall A large room, with rows of long plastic tables with attached benches. A metal buffet separates it from the kitchen back to the north. A camera sits high on one wall. A pair of swinging doors leads south to the corridor, and a small side door leads east to the security office. >s (first opening the swinging doors) Corridor This corridor is more of an interstitial space between other places than a place of its own. A window looks in on a security office. The guard languishes asleep on the floor, encased entirely by the metal fibers of the trap. The corridor continues to the east. A nondescript door leads west to the barracks, a heavy door leads northeast to the security office, and a pair of swinging doors leads back north to the mess hall. The sensor lights up. The doors swing shut behind you. >w South End of the Barracks You stand at one end of a long room, which seems to be being used as a barracks. There are beds to your left and right, each with a chest at its foot. Pushed against one wall is a writing desk. A security camera sits high on one wall. The one on the left holds some junk. There's some junk in the one on the right. The room continues to the north. To the west is the metal door blocking the way back to the alley. Back to the east is another door leading further into the compound. The sensor light goes out. >reverse door (the metal door) Better to leave it as it is now that you're inside, to leave as little trace of your presence as possible. >w (first picking the lock and opening the metal door) There's no lock or keyhole of any kind that you can see on the metal door. >call kay Your earpiece crackles as it connects. "Kay?" you ask. "Can you hear me?" "Copy," Kay says. "What can I help you with?" 1) I have a question about something here in the barracks. 2) I have a question about something to do with the security office. 3) I have a question about something to do with the vault. 4) That's all for now. >1 You go to speak, but on second thought find you actually have no questions about that place, after all. "Anything else I can help you with?" 1) I have a question about something to do with the security office. 2) I have a question about something to do with the vault. 3) That's all for now. >1 You go to speak, but on second thought find you actually have no questions about that place, after all. "Anything else I can help you with?" 1) I have a question about something to do with the vault. 2) That's all for now. >1 "I have another question about something to do with the vault," you say. "Alright, what's up?" Kay says. 1) How do I get through the vault door? 2) Why can't I reverse the sledgehammer? 3) That's all the questions I have about this. >2 "Why can't I reverse the sledgehammer?" you ask. "What do you mean?" Kay asks. "Well, it's a tool, right?" you reason. "And tools are reversible. So why won't it work?" "That's your problem," Kay sighs. "It has a more specific identity than just 'tool.' In order to reverse it, you need to remove its identity. Or, change it, I guess. Make it something other than a sledgehammer?give it some additional function." 1) How do I get through the vault door? 2) How can I make a less specific tool? 3) That's all the questions I have about this. >2 "Okay, so how do I make a more generic tool?" you ask. "Uh, uh, uh," Kay says, thinking. "Oh! What about that peach you have? There's no word for a tool that's both a hammer and a screwdriver, right? And peaches have pits." 1) How do I get through the vault door? 2) That's all the questions I have about this. >eat peach [Please select from one of the options above.] >2 "That's all the questions I have about this," you say. "Anything else I can help you with?" 1) I have another question about something to do with the vault. 2) That's all for now. >2 "That's it for now," you say. "Over and out." Your earpiece crackles as you close the connection. South End of the Barracks You stand at one end of a long room, which seems to be being used as a barracks. There are beds to your left and right, each with a chest at its foot. Pushed against one wall is a writing desk. A security camera sits high on one wall. In the one on the left is some junk. There's some junk in the one on the right. The room continues to the north. To the west is the metal door blocking the way back to the alley. Back to the east is another door leading further into the compound. >eat peach You eat the peach. It's perfectly ripe, soft and very sweet. Once the flesh is gone, you're left with just its pit. >x pit The pit you pulled from the peach, still slightly sticky from the flesh of the fruit. >reverse pit The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the pit transforms into a tip. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. >put tip on hammer (the sledgehammer) You attach the tip to the butt end of the sledgehammer, surprised when it magnetizes all on its own. You now have... a less-easily-defined tool. >reverse tool The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the tool vanishes. In its place appears a bevy of loot: a gem, a pile of coins, what looks like the smashed-up remains of a clockwork canary, and an antique violin. Also among them is a sealed canister, labeled with the words "DANGER. MUTAGENIC SUBSTANCE. MAY CAUSE GENETIC DEFECTS." in bold letters. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. The sensor lights up. The meter begins to make a crackling noise. >get gem You take the gem. A blast of static comes over your headset, followed by the sound of Kay cursing. 1) Ask what's going on. 2) Ask if she's alright. The sensor light goes out. You hear fists pounding on the metal door. >reverse gem [Please select from one of the options above.] >2 "Kay, are you okay?" you ask. "Our adversaries era on the move," Kay says. "They must have finished their training exercise early. They're less than two minutes out, but the tracker we put on their vehicle only just pinged me." 1) Say that's alright, you have all the captured agents and can come to her. 2) Ask if she can wait where she is for you. You hear voices shouting on the other side of the metal door. >1 "That's alright," you reply. "It's time to extract me anyway. I have all the reversed agents and I can come to you." "No, on," Kay says. "I can't risk being captured by them again. I have to go before they see me idling here and get suspicious. You'll need to find an alternative escape path." 1) Ask what you're supposed to do without her guidance. 2) Ask if she'll be able to get away safely. 3) Ask how to get out of the compound, if not via the alley. 4) Tell her good luck and sign off. You hear movement on the other side of the metal door. >3 "Okay," you say. "Well, how am I supposed to get out of the compound, if not through the alley?" "There's another exit in the kitchen," Kay replies. "A small door opposite the pantry. Leads out to the shore. It has an electronic lock, so I've rigged it so that after it's next opened, it'll lock itself and disable its ability to unlock. That should buy you some time to figure out how to get away." 1) Ask what you're supposed to do without her guidance. 2) Ask if she'll be able to get away safely. 3) Tell her good luck and sign off. You hear some kind of tool working on the metal door. >2 "Will you be able to get away safely?" you ask. "I'll be fine," Kay responds through gritted teeth. "Worry about yourself." 1) Ask what you're supposed to do without her guidance. 2) Tell her good luck and sign off. You hear fists pounding on the metal door. >2 "Okay," you say. "Good luck, Kay." "You too, Agent Quintrell," Kay replies. "See you on the other side." There's a blast of static, and then you are alone. South End of the Barracks You stand at one end of a long room, which seems to be being used as a barracks. There are beds to your left and right, each with a chest at its foot. Pushed against one wall is a writing desk. A security camera sits high on one wall. You can see a mutagen, some wons, the remains of a clockwork canary, and an antique violin here. There is some junk in the one on the left. In the one on the right is some junk. The room continues to the north. To the west is the metal door blocking the way back to the alley. Back to the east is another door leading further into the compound. You hear voices shouting on the other side of the metal door. The meter continues to crackle. >get violin You take the antique violin. You hear fists pounding on the metal door. A crackling noise emits from the meter. >get canary You take the remains of the clockwork canary. You hear voices shouting on the other side of the metal door. The meter continues to crackle. >get wons You take the wons. You hear fists pounding on the metal door. The meter emits a crackling noise. >get mutagen You take the mutagen. You hear movement on the other side of the metal door. A crackling noise emits from the meter. >reverse gem At this point, you need to move as quickly as possible and can't take the time to catch Agent Meg Robinson up or properly re-acclimate her to being human. Better to wait until you've safely escaped. You hear fists pounding on the metal door. The meter continues to crackle. >e Corridor This corridor is more of an interstitial space between other places than a place of its own. A window looks in on a security office. The guard languishes asleep on the floor, encased entirely by the metal fibers of the trap. The corridor continues to the east. A nondescript door leads back west to the barracks, a heavy door leads northeast to the security office, and a pair of swinging doors leads north to the mess hall. The sensor lights up. A crackling noise emits from the meter. >n (first opening the swinging doors) Mess Hall A large room, with rows of long plastic tables with attached benches. A metal buffet separates it from the kitchen to the north. A camera sits high on one wall. A pair of swinging doors leads back south to the corridor, and a small side door leads east to the security office. The sensor light goes out. The doors swing shut behind you. The meter continues to crackle. >n Kitchen A large industrial kitchen, complete with a refrigerator, a range, and a sink. The air is full of the smell of cleaning product. A counter runs the length of the walls. A coffee machine is pushed into one corner of it. A well-organized knife rack hangs on one of the walls above the counter. There is a stein in the sink. There is some coffee in the stein. Past the buffet, the mess hall is back to the south. A wooden door leads west to the pantry. An unassuming door leads east. A crackling noise emits from the meter. >e (first picking the lock and opening the unassuming door) Shore The back of the compound apparently backs directly onto a beach. Waves crash against the sand and a salt breeze ruffles your hair. A door to the west leads back into the compound. You shut the door behind you and hear its lock engage. That should give you at least a little time to figure out how to escape. The meter continues to crackle. >l Shore The back of the compound backs directly onto a beach. Waves crash against the sand. A door to the west leads back into the compound. A crackling noise emits from the meter. >x beach Shore The back of the compound backs directly onto a beach. A salt breeze ruffles your hair. A door to the west leads back into the compound. The meter emits a crackling noise. >x sand Fine sand covers the ground, marking this place as a shore. A crackling noise emits from the meter. >x wave You knew, of course, that this was a coastal city, but knowing that and being faced with the ocean's vastness are two different things. The meter emits a crackling noise. >i Currently, you're carrying a mutagen, some wons, the remains of a clockwork canary, an antique violin, a gem, a sticky note, a lien, a meter, a notepad, a step stool, a security camera, a schematic map, a top, a plastic bowl, a lid from the pot, some jars, a yam, a bag of sugar, a spare part, some limes, a knife, some tops, a dress, a reverser, a lockpick, a reference list, and a briefcase. In the briefcase is an emergency kit and in the jars is some dry oatmeal. Additionally, you're wearing a wireless headset. A crackling noise emits from the meter. >x violin A beautiful instrument, though the ravages of time show on it just a bit. The meter emits a crackling noise. >x meter A circular meter, ringed with numbers, and with a needle to point at them. Said needle is currently shivering slightly, but staying consistently at the top end of the range. >x mutagen A dangerous compound, currently housed in a sealed canister. You can see it glowing through the seam of the lid. There's a pictogram on the side, with writing underneath. If your adversaries are collecting mutagenic substances, things may be escalating more quickly than you'd feared. Fortunately for you in the short term, reversal technology has made disposing of most generic mutagens trivial. A crackling noise emits from the meter. >x canister A dangerous compound, currently housed in a sealed canister. You can see it glowing through the seam of the lid. There's a pictogram on the side, with writing underneath. The meter emits a crackling noise. >i Currently, you're carrying a mutagen, some wons, the remains of a clockwork canary, an antique violin, a gem, a sticky note, a lien, a meter, a notepad, a step stool, a security camera, a schematic map, a top, a plastic bowl, a lid from the pot, some jars, a yam, a bag of sugar, a spare part, some limes, a knife, some tops, a dress, a reverser, a lockpick, a reference list, and a briefcase. In the briefcase is an emergency kit and in the jars is some dry oatmeal. Additionally, you're wearing a wireless headset. The meter continues to crackle. >reverse top The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the top transforms into a pot. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. The meter emits a crackling noise. >put mutagen in pot You put the mutagen into the pot. A crackling noise emits from the meter. >reverse pot Early testing of reversal technology determined that when something is reversed with something else inside of it, that something else vanishes too, and does not return when the container is reversed back. Which, actually, makes for a very convenient solution to your mutagen problem. The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the pot transforms into a top. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. The meter ceases making noise. >get top You already have that. >i Currently, you're carrying a top, some wons, the remains of a clockwork canary, an antique violin, a gem, a sticky note, a lien, a meter, a notepad, a step stool, a security camera, a schematic map, a plastic bowl, a lid from the pot, some jars, a yam, a bag of sugar, a spare part, some limes, a knife, some tops, a dress, a reverser, a lockpick, a reference list, and a briefcase. In the briefcase is an emergency kit and in the jars is some dry oatmeal. Additionally, you're wearing a wireless headset. >open emergency kit You open the emergency kit, revealing a spool and a strop. >reverse strop The reverser emits a quiet buzz and- Oh. Oh, no. An entire system of ports appears before you. The docks start at your feet and branch outwards to the sea. On the far end, you can see several ships floating, and real living sailors moving among them, talking, laughing, and working. You are forbidden from reversing anything alive or from creating life through reversal. Quite the bind you've gotten yourself into this time, Agent Quintrell. The sensor lights up. >l Shore The back of the compound backs directly onto a beach. Waves crash against the sand and a salt breeze ruffles your hair. A full set of ports now borders the shore, complete with docks, ships, and even sailors. A door to the west leads back into the compound. >talk to sailor They're by and large too far away to hear you. Or maybe they're just ignoring you. >e Anything too big or complicated created through reversal tends to be unstable. That is, in testing, they've had a tendency to just... blip out of existence without warning, taking all of their parts (and anything or anyone unfortunate enough to be inside them at the time) with them. The ports are certainly vast, and may be unstable. You don't want to get lost, and you certainly don't want to blip out of existence. >x boat A set of boats and ships, ranging widely in size, are parked in neat rows on the far end of the docks. >search boats A set of boats and ships, ranging widely in size, are parked in neat rows on the far end of the docks. >x docks A network of paths made of wooden boards criss-cross the port. >reverse map Pam is new. The mission where she got captured was one of her first in the field. You're worried that she'd be more of a hinderance than a help here, especially since you'd have to re-acclimate her to being human. Better to wait until you're all safely out of here. >reverse limes You have no idea which of these limes is Emil, and you're forbidden from reversing anything to create new life. You'll need to take all of them with you. >reverse cam You know Mac would insist on de-reversing the other rescued agents, regardless of the rules about creating life. He has his roguish image to maintain, after all, and you just don't have space for that kind of energy on a mission so delicate. >i Currently, you're carrying a top, some wons, the remains of a clockwork canary, an antique violin, a gem, a sticky note, a lien, a meter, a notepad, a step stool, a security camera, a schematic map, a plastic bowl, a lid from the pot, some jars, a yam, a bag of sugar, a spare part, some limes, a knife, some tops, a dress, a reverser, a lockpick, a reference list, and a briefcase. In the briefcase is an emergency kit, in the jars is some dry oatmeal, and in the emergency kit is a spool. Additionally, you're wearing a wireless headset. >reverse part You already have one trap, and it seems to have done the trick. >reverse spool The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the spool transforms into some loops. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. >x loops Two loops, one red and one green. >x red loop A red string, currently fashioned into a loop. >x green loop A green string, currently fashioned into a loop. >wear red loop (first taking the red loop) Doing so wouldn't make much of a fashion statement, nor would it make any progress. >reverse green loop The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the loop transforms into a pool. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. Thanks to the way the ports are laid out, the pool quickly connects up with the sea. >x pool A pool of still water sitting among the sand. >enter pool Now is not the time to go for a swim. >reverse pool The reverser emits a quiet buzz and all but one of the pools vanish. Beside the one remaining pool sits a loop of blue string. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. >get loop (the blue loop) You take the blue loop. >l Shore The back of the compound backs directly onto a beach. A salt breeze ruffles your hair. A lone pool of water sits in the sand. A full set of ports now borders the shore, complete with docks, ships, and even sailors. A door to the west leads back into the compound. >x pool A pool of still water sitting among the sand. >reverse pool The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the pool transforms into a loop of green string. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. >get green loop You take the green loop. >w That isn't something you can unlock. (first unlocking the unassuming door) (first opening the unassuming door) >w That isn't something you can unlock. (first unlocking the unassuming door) (first opening the unassuming door) >i Currently, you're carrying a green loop, a blue loop, a red loop, a top, some wons, the remains of a clockwork canary, an antique violin, a gem, a sticky note, a lien, a meter, a notepad, a step stool, a security camera, a schematic map, a plastic bowl, a lid from the pot, some jars, a yam, a bag of sugar, a spare part, some limes, a knife, some tops, a dress, a reverser, a lockpick, a reference list, and a briefcase. In the briefcase is an emergency kit and in the jars is some dry oatmeal. Additionally, you're wearing a wireless headset. >l Shore The back of the compound backs directly onto a beach. Waves crash against the sand and a salt breeze ruffles your hair. A full set of ports now borders the shore, complete with docks, ships, and even sailors. A door to the west leads back into the compound. >x sand Fine sand covers the ground, marking this place as a shore. >pile sand Sorry, I didn't understand that sentence. >eat sugar You don't have time to eat for no reason right now, or to deal with a sugar rush. >read sticky note It reads "You win. Here's your reward. Just leave me and my family alone." in a messy scrawl. >x canary A pile of mangled parts that appears to be all that remains of a clockwork canary. Someone must have dropped its egg from too high a branch. >fix canary Sorry, I didn't understand that sentence. >x violin A beautiful instrument, though the ravages of time show on it just a bit. >x strings red loop: A red string, currently fashioned into a loop. green loop: A green string, currently fashioned into a loop. blue loop: A blue string, currently fashioned into a loop. >x bridge That noun didn't make sense in this context. >read lien The document is extensive and is mostly comprised of dense legal jargon. If you try to decipher it for too long you'll just give yourself a headache. >x meter A circular meter, ringed with numbers, and with a needle to point at them. It reacted before to proximity with the mutagen, but right now the needle is sitting stubbornly at 0. >x wons A stack of many different kinds of Korean coins, ranging in value from ?1 to ?100. >reverse wons The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the wons transform into snow, which quickly spills all over the ground. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. >x snow A layer of snow sits on top of a portion of the sand. >reverse snow The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the snow transforms into some wons. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. >x wons A stack of many different kinds of Korean coins, ranging in value from ?1 to ?100. >get wons You take the wons. >enter water Which do you mean, the ebb stream or the ocean? >x stream Water flows in an ebb stream from a point in the sand out into the waves, though it's not apparent where the water is coming from. >enter ocean You're not a strong enough swimmer to make your way to a secondary location that way. >enter stream You're not really interested in getting your feet wet. >dig sand Even if there were anything worthwhile buried in the sand, there's too much surface area to cover to make it worth looking for. >bury lid Sorry, I didn't understand that sentence. >n The beach stretches north to south, backed by a high wall. You wander that way for a while, but don't see any break with which to make your way back into the city. >s The beach stretches north to south, backed by a high wall. You've already tried, and can't find any break with which to make your way back into the city. >e The ports are vast, and may be unstable. You don't want to get lost, and you certainly don't want to blip out of existence. >call kay Kay is out of range of your earpiece and can no longer be contacted. You're on your own. >i Currently, you're carrying some wons, a green loop, a blue loop, a red loop, a top, the remains of a clockwork canary, an antique violin, a gem, a sticky note, a lien, a meter, a notepad, a step stool, a security camera, a schematic map, a plastic bowl, a lid from the pot, some jars, a yam, a bag of sugar, a spare part, some limes, a knife, some tops, a dress, a reverser, a lockpick, a reference list, and a briefcase. In the briefcase is an emergency kit and in the jars is some dry oatmeal. Additionally, you're wearing a wireless headset. >cut note Which do you mean, the sticky note or the notepad? >sticky note You have no reason to destroy the sticky note. >cut notepad You have no reason to destroy the notepad. >cut loop Which do you mean, the green loop, the blue loop, or the red loop? >blue You have no reason to destroy the blue loop. >cut tops You have no reason to destroy any of the tops. >cut list Reversal is heady stuff, and it's hard enough as it is to keep track of the reversed names of these agents and where they might be found with the reference. You're not willing to risk going without it. >x list A single creased sheet of paper, with your orders typed neatly on the front. Below the orders is a list of the agents you're here to rescue. INDISPOSED AGENTS: Agent Tod Alexander Agent Emil Castellanos Agent Neil Murphy Agent Meg Robinson Agent Raj Sharma Agent Mac Thompson Agent Pam Turner Agent Tao Wei >x self You are Special Agent Valerie Quintrell, a recently-designated immutable agent. With the advances in reversal technology, it has become much more dangerous to go on missions for agents with reversible names. Since your name is not reversible, you've been working a lot lately. >reverse self Your name, Valerie, makes you Immutable?that's one of the reasons you were selected for this mission. >reverse port One of the cardinal rules of your agency is to never create new life through reversal. Even more cardinal than that one, though, is to never reverse something that's alive. It seems the sailors at the far end of the docks count as part of the ports, seeing as they appeared when all the rest of the place did. You've already broken one cardinal rule today?you're not about to break another, even to fix that mistake. >x port A full set of ports now borders the shore, with docks start branching outwards to the sea. On the far end, you can see several ships floating, and real living sailors moving among them, talking, laughing, and working. >yell to sailor I only understood you as far as wanting to do something to. >talk to sailor They're by and large too far away to hear you. Or maybe they're just ignoring you. >x sea Gray waves crash against the shore. >x waves Gray waves crash against the shore. >x ship A set of boats and ships, ranging widely in size, are parked in neat rows on the far end of the docks. >enter ship The ships are deep into the ports, too far away for you to reach. The ships are deep into the ports, too far away for you to reach. The ships are deep into the ports, too far away for you to reach. The ships are deep into the ports, too far away for you to reach. >x docks A network of paths made of wooden boards criss-cross the port. >walk on path Either you can't see that, or it's unimportant enough to be beneath notice. >x path A network of paths made of wooden boards criss-cross the port. >x board A network of paths made of wooden boards criss-cross the port. >get board The docks are solid wood, much too heavy for you to move. >reverse loops The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the loops transform into a spool. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. >i spool I only understood you as far as wanting to take inventory. >x spool A cylindrical piece of black plastic, meant for wrapping string around. >reverse spool The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the spool transforms into some loops. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. >x loops Three loops, one red, one green, one blue. >x wall Like the other external wall you've seen of the coumpound, this one is made of bricks and towers above you. >x bricks Like the other external wall you've seen of the coumpound, this one is made of bricks and towers above you. >climb wall The wall is too sheer for you to climb without specialized equipment. >x door The door is the definition of nondescript. Plain, gray, small, and unadorned. >reverse loot That noun didn't make sense in this context. >i Currently, you're carrying a green loop, a red loop, some wons, a blue loop, a top, the remains of a clockwork canary, an antique violin, a gem, a sticky note, a lien, a meter, a notepad, a step stool, a security camera, a schematic map, a plastic bowl, a lid from the pot, some jars, a yam, a bag of sugar, a spare part, some limes, a knife, some tops, a dress, a reverser, a lockpick, a reference list, and a briefcase. In the briefcase is an emergency kit and in the jars is some dry oatmeal. Additionally, you're wearing a wireless headset. >drop all top: You put the top on the ground. lien: Now that you've found the lien, you're not letting it out of your sight. Or at least, you're not letting it out of your possession. green loop: You put the green loop on the ground. red loop: You put the red loop on the ground. wons: You put the wons on the ground. blue loop: You put the blue loop on the ground. antique violin: You put the antique violin on the ground. gem: Now that you've found the gem, you're not letting it out of your sight. Or at least, you're not letting it out of your possession. sticky note: You put the sticky note on the ground. meter: You put the meter on the ground. notepad: You put the notepad on the ground. step stool: You put the step stool on the ground. security camera: Mac in particular looks very similar to every other security camera in the building right now. You'd rather not risk losing track of him. schematic map: Now that you've found the map, you're not letting it out of your sight. Or at least, you're not letting it out of your possession. plastic bowl: You put the plastic bowl on the ground. lid: You put the lid on the ground. jars: Now that you've found the jars, you're not letting them out of your sight. Or at least, you're not letting them out of your possession. yam: You put the yam on the ground. spare part: You put the spare part on the ground. limes: Now that you've found the limes, you're not letting them out of your sight. Or at least, you're not letting them out of your possession. knife: You put the knife on the ground. tops: You put the tops on the ground. dress: Now that you've found the dress, you're not letting it out of your sight. Or at least, you're not letting it out of your possession. reverser: The reverser is perhaps the most valuable piece of equipment you've ever been entrusted with, and is your most useful tool on this mission. No way it's leaving your possession, even for a moment. lockpick: You put the lockpick on the ground. reference list: You put the reference list on the ground. briefcase: You put the briefcase on the ground. remains of the clockwork canary: You put the remains of the clockwork canary on the ground. bag of sugar: You put the bag of sugar on the ground. >get reverser You already have that. >get canary You take the remains of the clockwork canary. >get gem You already have that. >get violin You take the antique violin. >get wons You take the wons. >reverse loot That noun didn't make sense in this context. >reverse canary gem violin and wons That noun didn't make sense in this context. >reverse canary violin and wons That noun didn't make sense in this context. >get all top: You take the top. briefcase: You take the briefcase. reference list: You take the reference list. lockpick: You take the lockpick. tops: You take the tops. knife: You take the knife. spare part: You take the spare part. yam: You take the yam. lid: You take the lid. plastic bowl: You take the plastic bowl. step stool: You take the step stool. notepad: You take the notepad. meter: You take the meter. sticky note: You take the sticky note. blue loop: You take the blue loop. red loop: You take the red loop. green loop: You take the green loop. bag of sugar: You take the bag of sugar. emergency kit: You take the emergency kit. >reverse red loop The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the loop transforms into a pool. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. Thanks to the way the ports are laid out, the pool quickly connects up with the sea. >x pool A pool of still water sitting among the sand. >reverse green loop The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the green loop vanishes. Now, instead of there being just one pool here, there are several pools. Thanks to the way the ports are laid out, several of them connect to the sea. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. >reverse pools The reverser emits a quiet buzz and all of the pools vanish. In their place sits a sloop. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. >enter sloop You need to find a way to get this boat into the water before you can sail it?it's beached, not at the ports. >reverse blue loop The reverser emits a quiet buzz and the loop transforms into a pool. It appears directly underneath the sloop, and, though the new pool is small, it allows the craft to float. A faint pine scent lingers in the air. Thanks to the way the ports are laid out, the pool quickly connects up with the sea. You now have a boat now and a way to get it to the sea. You might even have time to secure a crew from the ports if you're quick. You hear voices coming from the building behind you. Maybe you don't have that time after all. Better get a move on. You hear fists pounding on the unassuming door. >enter sloop You climb into the boat and, as if by divine providence, a wind picks up and fills the sails. Slowly at first, then picking up speed, the sloop begins to move. A crash comes from behind you. You whip around to see the door to the compound break down, and enemy agents rush out. They aim their own portable reversers at you, at the sloop, at the ports. The ports do vanish, but you and the boat are already out to sea and too far away. One tries to swim after you, but is battered back to the beach by a timely wave. You've done it. You made it out with all your captured comrades with you. You'll meet with Kay at the secondary rendezvous location, where you can reverse them back and debrief them together. Good work, agent. *** Mission accomplished. *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT, UNDO the last command, or read the CREDITS? > credits Conceptualized, written, and programmed by Charm Cochran. Special thanks to my testers, who deserve much credit and no blame: Lee Burton, Julia Byrne, Drew Cook, Josh Grams, Lionstooth, Dana Montgomery, Steve Nealon, Tabitha O'Connell, Nathan Ray, and Tommy Sullivan-Lovett. It was originally planned for SeedComp! 2025. It was based on the seeds "One Small Change" by Amanda Walker, "Reversible" by JoshGrams, and "The Search" by okushimo. Other inspirations included many interactive fiction classics, including Counterfeit Monkey by Emily Short and Spider & Web by Andrew Plotkin. It includes the following extensions: Hybrid Choices v7.1 by AW Freyr; Deluxe Booleans v1.0.250113 and Hiding Behind v1 by Charm Cochran; Basic Screen Effects v8, Glulx Text Effects v6, Locksmith v13, Modified Exit v6, Punctuation Removal v5, Room Description Control v14.1.220524, Skeleton Keys v1, and Tailored Room Description v13.2.240108 by Emily Short; Alternatives v3.0.150410, Bulk Limiter v9, Epistemology v9, Hiding Under v4, and Underside v6.1 by Eric Eve; Enterable Underside v2.0.200926 and Prepositional Correctness v2.0.200926 by Gavin Lambert; Far Away v5.0.160517 by Jon Ingold; Simple Multimedia Effects for V10 v6 by Mathbrush; Basic Plans v3.0.211124 and Planner v3.0.240130 by Nate Cull; and Title Case For Headings v1.0.170902 and Undo Output Control v6.0.220529 by Nathanael Nerode. Object Response Tests v7 by Juhana Leinonen was used during testing. Additionally, it includes snippets of code by Andrew Plotkin and Zed Lopez, along with code from Computers v8.2 by Emily Short, Large Game Speedup v4.0.140731 by Andrew Plotkin, and Modern Conveniences v5 by Emily Short, but not the extensions themselves. It runs using Mathbrush's Bisquixe interpreter, which is based on Andrew Plotkin's Quixe. It also includes snippets of code by Graham Nelson, pulled from Inform Recipe Book Examples 36 - "Brown," 217 - "Dinner is Served," 226 - "Four Cheeses," 328 - "Western Art History 305," 370 - "Walls and Noses," and 413 - "Alpha." Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT, UNDO the last command, or read the CREDITS? >